A 65-year-old mayor is facing scrutiny after it was reveled he married a 16-year-old girl days after appointing her mother to a high ranking municipal post.
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Aracáuria Mayor Hissam Hussein Dehaini married Kauane Rode Dehaini on April 15, days after she turned 16. The Brazilian mayor who has been married six times, recently named his bride’s mother, Marilene Rode, secretary of Culture and Tourism days before the wedding as reported by G1.
In addition to the new hire, Rode was given a $1500 raise. Her sister, Elizangela Rode, also worked as the city’s planning secretary since October 2022. On Tuesday, Mayor Dehaini removed the two women from their positions after Paraná state prosecutors said they were investigating whether he used his influence to hire family members to work in high ranking government positions.
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The city said in a statement that Marilene Rode has worked for the city of Aracauría since August 2021 when she was named advisor to the municipal secretary. A few days later she was promoted to a position as Mayor Dehaini’s executive assistant.
‘The servant in question meets the necessary conditions for the exercise of the position, since she has 26 years of experience in the public service.’
In January 2022, she was named as director of the Aracauría Department of Education. In 2019, Dehaini was previously under investigation by Civil Society Organization of Public Interest for his hiring practices after it was discovered he hired his previous wife’s family members for government positions. He was cleared for any wrong doing. In 2000, Dehaini was arrested for drug-trafficking charges after accusations of bribing drug trafficking. He was not convicted for any of the charges.
The mayor has 16 children from his previous marriages and married his first wife in 1980.
Social media also reacted to his marriage to his teen bride as it occurred four days after she turned 16.
Actually, it can be even worse, the consenting age around here is 14, he’s probably been grooming her, legally, unfortunately, for quite a while.
— É 1 💵 a palma da 🍌 (@HaruPierrt1) April 26, 2023
Her mother pimped out her own child
Let’s make sure we identify BOTH villains in this tragedy
All the adults that were supposed to protect her, utterly FAILED HER 🤬😢🤬
— ⚜️💅🏽 Cadbury Jessica Rabbit 💅🏽⚜️ (@MzSailiante) April 26, 2023
her mother literally sold her. it’s utterly disgusting. and people are saying “oh she agreed to it”. no, I hardly think you have a choice with parents like this.
— Pepperwood 100% 🐊 /🦁🤴🏾 (@jpepperwoodd) April 26, 2023
i’m so glad you’re talking about this, i’m brazilian and i’ve been honestly, deeply sad ever since learning of this yesterday. apparently this poor child has been on this man’s hands since she was 13. it’s so fucking heartbreaking.
— ross. 💐 (@wegjesuita) April 26, 2023