Nujood lives in Sana'a, Yemen. She was 9 years old at the time of her marriage and divorce - a 4th grader in the U.S. - That was something very hard to wrap my mind around. In Yemeni homes, the law is laid down by fathers and older brothers. Nujood's father forced her to marry a man from the tiny village where she lived as a [small] child. Hastily married, this little girl resolved to escape her brutal husband. She had the courage to rebel against an entire culture....society.....in a country that does not have women's shelters, no women's rights. Nujood was on her own to get across the city, into the courthouse, and before a judge. Nujood could have been murdered for an "honor crime." Staggering.
In 2008, the age of consent for marriage was 15. [In 2009, it was changed to 18.] However, child marriages are still customary in Muslim countries. In the countryside especially, there is a tribal proverb: "To guarantee a happy marriage, marry a nine-year-old girl." Nujood was the first child ever to successfully divorce her husband in the Arab world. For instance, in Saudi Arabia in 2009, an 8-year-old girl successfully sued for divorce from her husband, a man in his 50s, whom she was forced to marry.
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| Nujood with her lawyer, Shada Nasser |
The story was tastefully - and tactfully - written by Ms. Minoui. It is a story about courage and hope. Please, please take the time to read Nujood's story. Her voice needs to be heard.
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