BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhuanet) -- A Nine-year-old Saudi girl, whose father gave her to a friend in settlement of a debt, has finally got divorce from a 50-year-old man after widespread international criticism over the Saudi Arabia's human rights practices.

    The decision came after the first two petitions failed, media reported Thursday.

    "This is a good step and I think the man did it because he was in a lot of pressure from everyone," Wajeha Al-Huaider, founder of the Group for Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia, told Reuters.

    Al-Huaider, who campaigned for the child, said she hoped the pressure generated by the case would eventually lead to a law banning child marriages.

    The girl was married last year when she was eight. Her mother opposed the marriage and took the case to the court last year.

    The case has reopened the debate in Saudi Arabia on whether a minimum age for marriage should be introduced.

    (Agencies)