Baby-faced and swamped by her wedding dress and veil, she is easily young enough to be her companion's grand-daughter.

But despite the startling fact that this 'bride' is just a child, some passers-by are astonishingly quick to offer congratulations.

In this case, the marriage is a sham to highlight the plight of Lebanese girls who can be married off to much older men from the age of nine.

Controversial: A grey haired middle aged man poses for 'wedding' photos with his 12-year-old child bride on a seaside promenade in Lebanon

The practice is on the increase in the country, especially in refugee camps where Syrian refugee girls are forced to marry young.

Many see it as acceptable. One man, passing the staged wedding, asks: 'Is she yours?'

The groom replies 'yes' and the onlooker then nods approval and congratulates him.

However, others react with anger. One woman is so shocked that she demands to know where the girl's parents are.

'She's 12! I was jogging but my feet froze when I saw her,' she shouts.

Another bystander then tells her the 'wedding' is legal as the groom had the parents' permission - adding: 'The law allows it.'

Innocence: The baby-faced bride wore a white veil and clutched a matching posy of flowers in the odd scene as they smiled for pictures

Posing: In disturbing scenes, the 'happy couple' are seen smiling for the camera as passers by look on shocked at the obvious age gap and the fact that the bride is so young

The woman hits back, saying: 'What law? I am taking her with me. We are all going with her. How can I leave? She is like my daughter.'

Another man asks the wedding photographer is he is happy taking photos of the scene.

The groom interrupts, saying: 'That's none of your business. I am with my wife. Her parents gave their permission.'

The man hit back, adding: 'You're like her grandfather.'

Another shocked man told him: 'Her parents are criminals.'

The fake wedding was set up by KAFA charity to highlight Lebanon's child marriage shame. The age of consent in the country is set by religious tribunals.

Shocking: One onlooker sees what is going on and asks the groom, 'Is she yours?' to which he congratulates the groom when he confirms she is 'his'

Staged: Luckily for the girl, she is not 'his', as this is a staged wedding set up by the KAFA charity to highlight the growing problem of child brides in Lebanon

Girls as young as 14 can marry without parental consent, although tribunals have granted special permission for nine-year-olds to marry.

Around one in every 100 children in Lebanon are married off before they are 15, according to UNICEF, and the shocking phenomenon is said to be on the rise.

It found a spike in early marriages in refugee camps across the Arab region, where Syrian families marry their daughters off to older men because they believe they are giving them a better, safer life.

CHILD MARRIAGE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ARAB NATIONS Iran: The Islamic Republic civil code set the legal age of marriage at 13 for girls and 15 boys. The same Act allows children to marry even younger with their parents' consent or permission from a court judge. Iraq: Legal age to marry is 18 for girls and boys but they can get married as young as 15 with a judge's permission. Syria: The legal age is set to 17 for girls and 18 for boys but religious leaders have been known to allow girls to marry at 13. Yemen: The Arab country is one of the few left in the region that does not have a minimum age for marriage with parental consent. Without their families' permission, girls and boys can marry at 15. Afghanistan: Girls can marry at 16 without her parents' permission and boys at 18. The country's Civil Code says 'marriage of a minor girl whose age is less then 15 shall never be permissible'. Libya: The legal age is 20 for men and women, but courts have been known to grant earlier marriages. Jordan: Girls and boys must wait until they are 18 to get married without permission. But sharia courts can grant special permission for girls as young as 15 to marry. Palestine: With parental consent, girls can get married at 15 and boys at 16. Source: UNICEF / Girls Not Brides Advertisement

They are in fact putting them at a much higher risk of complications during pregnancy, domestic abuse and rape, and destroying any chance of them getting an education, said UNICEF spokesman Robert Jenkins.

Syrian born Jasmin, 16, was made to marry a 24-year-old man in a Jordanian refugee camp.

Five months pregnant with his baby, she told UNICEF: 'When I was younger I was dreaming about being a fashion designer, but now I can't achieve that because of my situation.'

Change: KAFA wants to end the problem of child marriages, which are on the increase in Lebanon, especially in refugee camps where Syrian refugee girls are forced to marry young

Taking action: But the video proves some in the country abhor child marriages. One woman was so incensed by what she had seen, she demanded to know where the girl's parents were. When told it was none of her business, she hit back: 'Of course it's my business. She's 12!'

Another refugee named Maha, 13, said: 'My father forced me to get married because he heard about a rape case [in the refugee camp] nearby.

'He was scared the same would happen to my sister and me. He forced my sister to get married first, and then he made me get married right after that.

My father forced me to get married because he heard about a rape case [in the refugee camp] nearby. He was scared the same would happen to my sister and me Maha, 13, a Syrian refugee in Jordan

'It was all very forceful and I had no choice. I didn't want to get married. I would've liked to finish my studies, but I couldn't do that.

Young Syrian refugee girls are also married off because it is 'one less mouth to feed' for their poverty stricken families, said Jihane Latrous, a child protection specialist at UNICEF.

Lebanon is trying to tackle the problem with laws to give civil authorities power in an area that has long been controlled by religious clerics.

Fadi Karam, secretary general of the National Commission for Lebanese Women, a body for human rights, said: 'For the best protection of children, there must be a complementarity between religious and civil authorities.'

A new law was drafted last year which required a civil judge, as well as religious tribunals, to approve the union.

Fury: When the 'groom', who is old enough to be the girl's grandfather, tells one man her parents gave them permission to marry, he replied: 'Her parents are criminals'

Growing problem: KAFA made the video to raise awareness of child marriages in Lebanon which have been on the rise, partly due to the influx of Syrian refugees in the country

Child marriage, which affects one in three girls in the developing world, has a devastating affect on their lives and their communities, said Lakshmi Sundaram, Executive Director at Girls Not Brides.

She told MailOnline: 'Pregnancy and childbirth are incredibly dangerous for child brides, often leading to death or significant injuries.

'Their children are at risk too. Babies with mothers under 20 are far less likely to survive their first birthday.

'Once married, a girl’s education is usually cut short, which means that she is much less likely to be able to access opportunities to pull herself and her family out of poverty.