Child Brides - Tradition or State Sanctioned Rape?

[Medusa]

I found this article on CNN this morning about a 12-year old girl who died from internal bleeding after the consummation of her marriage to a person at least twice her age.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/...ex.html?hpt=T2


I am naturally pretty sickened by this.

I am wondering if other folks feel that this is a form of state-sanctioned rape or if our experiences as Americans cause us to look at the tradition of "forced marriage" or "child brides" this way instead of as the traditions belonging to another country.
I am thinking about some of the "child bride" issues we have going on in our own country with the LDS folks and some other religious sects and thinking that at least in America, I would view this as an issue of rape.

This question might also tie in with the practice of female genital mutilation and how we view it here as opposed to how its viewed in the countries it is practiced in.

Curious about people's thoughts on this.