A teenage beauty queen who married a 65-year-old man has shared her response to critics online.
Hissam Hussein Dehaini, 66, the former Mayor of Araucaria (a municipality in the Brazilian state of Paraná), married his teen bride Kauane Rode a year ago this week.
To mark the one-year wedding anniversary, Kauane has taken to Instagram to hit back at people on social media who took issue with their relationship.
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Kauane, who is now 17, married the now 66-year-old politician around this time last year.
She participated in the Miss Araucária contest in 2022 in the teen category, for girls aged between 15 to 17, and came in second place.
However, she shot to fame after tying the knot with Hissam - who is nearly 50 years her senior.
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The pair made multiple headlines last year and attracted heaps of attention and criticism due to their unconventional relationship.
The outlet reports that the matrimony caused a backlash because Hissam promoted his bride's mother to a top job days before the wedding.
Kauane's mother Marilene Rode was made Secretary of Culture of Araucária after previously being the director of the department of education.
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According to Meaww, the new post came with a $1,500 pay rise.
Since then, Kauane has voiced her thoughts on the matter.
She posted a series of screenshots showing Google search results for her and her husband.
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Over the top of screenshots, Kauane wrote: "A year of wanting to know: Fans or haters?" alongside a laughing emoji.
According to the Brazilian Civil Code, a 'man and woman aged 16 can marry, requiring authorisation from both parents, or their legal representatives, until they reach the age of civil majority'.
The law changed in 2019 to ban marriages under 16 under any circumstances.
According to Unicef, Brazil has the fourth highest number of child brides in the world with the figure standing at 3,034,000.
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The most recently available data states that 36 percent of Brazilian girls are married before their 18th birthday and 11 percent are married before the age of 15.
Cynthia Betti, National Director for Plan International in Brazil writes: "There is still much to do. In line with international human rights law, Plan International strongly believes that the minimum legal age of marriage should be set at 18 for both men and women, regardless of the circumstances.
"We must now redouble our efforts to raise awareness of the damage marrying off girls under the age of 18 does to their lives in the communities where we work."
Topics: News, World News, Sex and Relationships, Real Life
Rhiannon Ingle