Ö¸{Ân¿ ½Z¯{¯kYÁ{YÄ̸ÃZ^» ¾¼Ë{ Nujood Ali The Fight Against Child Marriage in Yemen
Vision and Motivation ÃÌ´¿YÁÀÌ] In February 2008, Nujood Ali, just 10 years old, was married to a man three times įֻZ´ÀÅ,µZÄ˧{Ö¸{Ân¿ her age so that her family could escape ¾]Y]ÄÕ{»kYÁ{YÄ],dY{µZÃ{¬§ the economic burden of raising children. 1 cÔ°» Z] Ë Y YÃ{Y¿Zy Ze |»M{ {Ây Nujood’s case was not uncommon in ,{Ây ½Z¯{¯ ½{¯ ±] Y ÖZ¿ Õ{Zf«Y Yemen; in fact, most Yemeni girls marry µÂ¼ »Ì£ ¾¼Ë { {Ân¿ {» |]ZË ÖÔy older men before the age of 18. Nujood, Y ¶^« ÖÀ¼Ë ½Yfy{ j¯Y «YÁ { -dÌ¿ who had no desire to be married, was |ÀÀ¯Ö»kYÁ{Y{ÂyYe±]Ö¿Y{»Z]Ö´·Z continually raped and beaten by her 30- year old husband from the onset of their Z£MY,dY|¿kYÁ{YÄ]Ö¸ËZ¼epÌÅį{Ân¿ marriage. Almost two months after their YÄ·Z Ö Å Âe ¹Y|»  Ä] kYÁ{Y wedding, Nujood escaped her husband’s d§³Y«ºfÁ[ÁÖÀmÁZne{» home and took a taxi to a courthouse dz˳ Å ĿZy Y ÃZ» Á{ Y a {Ân¿ LQ 6DQD¶D ZKHUH VKH KRSHG WR ¿OH IRU Z À { ÖÅZ³{Y{ Ä] Y {Ây Ö¯Ze ®Ë Z] Á divorce. After waiting nearly all day at the a |À¯©ÔdYÂy{dYÂyÖ»ÁY |¿Z FRXUWKRXVHDFRPSDVVLRQDWHMXGJH¿QDOO\ ,ºuµ{ÖZ«®Ë,ÃZ³{Y{{Ö¿ÓÂZf¿YY ½Z¿©Â¬u ZÅÄ]ne www.tavaana.org heard Nujood’s story and took her home Ä¿ZyÄ]Äf¨ÅyMÕY]YÁYÁ|ÌÀY{Ân¿½ZfY{ to his family for the weekend; he also had {Y{Âf{¾ÌÀr¼ÅÁY-{]YÃ{Y¿ZyÌa{Ây both Nujood’s father and husband arrested. Nujood was then assigned to human rights a |¿ÂdY{Z]Á{Å,{Ân¿ÅÂÁ|a lawyer Shada Nasser as her counsel, who Ä],]©Â¬u¶Ì¯Á,Z¿Y{ZÄ]{Ân¿½MY successfully made her case in a court {YÁYÃ|¿ÁaZ¿ |Ö§ »ÕÁÁZ»½YÂÀ that granted Nujood a divorce from her ©ÔË~aÄ]į{¯s»d̬§Â»Z]ÃZ³{Y{ husband. |nÀ»ÃZ³{Y{ÕÂYÅÂYÕÁ Once Nujood’s story had been picked ÕZÅÄ¿Z { {Ân¿ ½ZfY{ Ä°¿M Y a up by international media outlets, it ½Z¯{¯ kYÁ{Y » ,| s» Ö¸¸¼·Y¾Ì] UDLVHGWKHSUR¿OHRIRQHRI Goals and Objectives |Z¬»Á¥Y|ÅY While Nujood was focused on escaping kYÁ{Y Y ˳ ] į Ö·Zu { {Ân¿ her abusive marriage, she was also eager į {Â] ©Zf» ,dY{ ¯¼e {Ây ÁMÄnÀ° to return to her younger sister in order to ]Y]{ÁYYZe{Á]{Âye®q¯ÅYÂy¡Y protect her from the same fate. Nujood says, “I did it so that people would listen |˳ֻ {Ân¿ |À¯ d§Zv» d¿ ½Z¼Å and think again about marrying off their ½{Y{ÅÂ{»{¹{»Ze¹{¯YZ¯¾ËY¾» daughters so young.” 2 Shada Nasser, as ½Y´Ë{ ½ZÀz Ä] ¾ÌËZa ¾ÌÀ { {Ây ½Yfy{ Nujood’s lawyer, also hoped that Nujood’s Y{Z |ÀË|ÀÌ]ÃZ]Á{{»¾ËY{Á|ÀÅ{³ KLJK SUR¿OH FDVH ZRXOG GHPRQVWUDWH WR Ã|¿ÁaįdY{|Ì»Y,{Ân¿¶Ì¯Á½YÂÀÄ]Z¿ other young girls that they don’t have to ½Z¿´Ë{µZÁ¾º¯½Yfy{Ä]{Ân¿ÂÆ» remain trapped in abusive marriages. 3 ]ÖÀf^»ÕZÅkYÁ{Y{|ÀfÌ¿Â^n»ZÆ¿Mį|Å{ Shada Nasser, alongside supportive children’s and women’s rights groups, |À¿Z¼]Ö«Z]Ã{Z¨fYL agrees that the best cure for the child bride ©Â¬uÖ»ZuÕZÅÃÁ³ZÀ¯{Z¿Y{Z epidemic is education, which is a crucial ¾ËfÆ]įdYª§Y»¿¾ËYZ],½Z¯{¯Á½Z¿ supplementary goal for combatants of »M,½Z¯{¯kYÁ{Y̳Y§¶°»ÕY]ÃY child brides in Yemen. With nearly 75% ÃZ^»ÕY]Õ|mÁ¶¼°»Ö§|Å,»M dY of Yemeni women illiterate and many too Z^ˬe dY ¾¼Ë { ½Z¯{¯ kYÁ{Y Ä̸ poor to go to school, families feel forced YÕZÌ]Á|ÀfÅ{YÂÖ]ÖÀ¼Ë½Z¿Y|{ www.tavaana.org ¾¼Ë{½Z¯{¯kYÁ{YÄ̸ÃZ^»-Ö¸{Ân¿ to marry their daughters to older men who { |¿Á]Ä|»Ä]|À¿YÂeÖ¼¿¬§c|YZÆ¿M many hope will raise the girls. 4 Parents į |ÀÀ¯Ö» Z^mY ZuY ZÅÃ{Y¿Zy µZu ¾ËY generally do not believe that marriages Ze|ÀÅ{ÅÂe¾»½Y{»Ä]Y{Ây½Yfy{ ZLOO EH FRQVXPPDWHG ZLWKLQ WKH ¿UVW few years, as it is forbidden by Yemeni Z»Â¼,¾Ë|·YÁ |ÀÀ¯±]Y½Z¿Yfy{ZÆ¿M law until the girl has reached puberty. Ä]Â]»µZ¼YÁkYÁ{Yį|ÀfÌ¿ÁZ]¾ËY] However, in Yemen, husbands cannot ½Mª¬veÁ{ÂÖ¼¿ª¬v»µÁYµZ|Àq{½M be tried for sexual violence against their ¡Â¸]Ä]fy{½|̽Z»Ze¾¼Ë½Â¿Z« ZY] wives, making rape against young brides Y½YŽYÂeÖ¼¿Â¯¾ËY{Z»Y dYÂÀ¼» an act impossible to prevent. Changing ļ¯Zv»{Ây½Z¿Ä̸ÖÀmd¿ÂyZyÄ] the law is an important step, but educating young girls and convincing families not to ÄmÁ pÌÅ Ä] į {ÂÖ» hZ] »Y ¾ËY {¯ marry their daughters at an early age are µZÁ¾º¯ZÌ]½Yfy{Ä]ÁZneY½YÂf¿ equally instrumental. 5 ºÆ»ZÌ]¹Z³®Ë,½Â¿Z«Ì̤e {¯Õ̳¸m ¿Z«ÁµZÁ¾º¯½Yfy{»MZ»YdY Leadership ½Yfy{½{Y{Ź|dÆmZÅÃ{Y¿Zy½{¯ Nujood’s courageous decision to end {Y{d̼ÅYÃY|¿Y½Z¼ÅÄ],¾ÌËZa¾ÌÀ{{Ây her marriage was a historic event for Yemen, as few precedents existed for her action. As Nujood said, “I’m a simple Õ^Å village girl whose family had to move Ä] ½{Y{ ļeZy ÕY] {Ân¿ Ä¿ZZn ºÌ¼e to the capital, and I have always obeyed {Â]¾¼ËÕY]ÖzËZeÄi{Zu®Ë,{ÂykYÁ{Y the orders of my fathers and brothers. Since forever, I have learned to say yes to {ÂmÁÄ]Z»{»|ÀqZÆÀeÁY¶¼ÕY]½Âq everything. Today I have decided to say fy{ ®Ë ¾» į dY{ ZÆY {Ân¿ dY{ no.”6 Nujood’s accounts of the trial reveal Ä] Â^n» YÃ{Y¿Zy į ºfÅ Ã{Z ÖËZfÁ her shock and awe that her case could |acYÂf{YÄ̼ž»Á{Â]dzfËZaÄ]µZ¬f¿Y draw such attention: “I would never have į¹YÄf§³{ZËÃY¼Š¹YÃ{¯dZYº¿Y{Y]Á imagined stirring up so much interest. Ä¿ºË´]į¹YÄf§³ºÌ¼eÁ»Y ÕMºË´] Me! A silent victim for so many months, suddenly propelled into the spotlight, facing all these journalists.” 7 Nujood’s experience is a testament to the fact that despite age, anyone with courage can stand up for her rights. Hillary Clinton has called Nujood “one of the greatest women I have ever seen…She set an example with her courage.” 8 ½Z¿©Â¬u ZÅÄ]ne www.tavaana.org Nujood’s case would have been hard to YÁY|Å{Ö»½Z¿,ÃZ³{Y{½ZËmY{Ân¿Y³ win without the help and guidance of Shada Ã{¯\¸m{ÂyÄ]YÖÆmÂe¾ÌÀq{»İÀËY Nasser, a prominent human rights lawyer in Yemen. Upon learning of Nujood’s story į¹{¯Ö¼¿Âe³Å dYÃ{Â]cÌu{ from a sympathetic judge in Sana’a, Nasser ¾» |Z]ÄfY{{ÂmÁYmZ»¾ËYÄ]Ä«ÔļžËY contacted the Yemen Times to spread ¯»Ä]ÃZ]®Ë,d¯ZÖ¿Z]«®ËZÅÃZ»ÕY] Nujood’s story, leading to groundswells of ½YZ´¿Ä»Z¿Á¾ËYļÅZ]Á¹|Ã|¿Z¯ÄmÂe international support. 9 Nasser’s desire to YÖ°Ë Y{Ân¿,½ÂfÀ̸¯ÕÔÌÅ ºf³ÄmY» ¿JKWIRUWKHULJKWVRIZRPHQDQGJLUOVDQG Ã|¿YÂy ¹YÃ|Ë{½ÂÀ¯Ze¾»Ä¯Ö¿Z¿¾Ëe±] her refusal to be intimidated by the male- ®ËÄ]fZnZ]ÁY |˳ֻ½ÂfÀ̸¯ dY dominated courts of Yemen have led her to take on similar cases, helping child brides dYÃ|¶Ë|^e´·Y divorce their husbands at an increasing ®Ë ,Z¿ Y{Z dËY|Å ½Á|] {Ân¿ {» rate since 2008. 10 Ä]d¿YÂeÖ¼¿,¾¼Ë{]©Â¬uÄfm]¶Ì¯Á Y½|Y{^yYaZ¿ |]ZËd{d̬§Â» Civic Environment ,Z À{µ|¼ÅÖZ«®ËªËY{Ân¿½ZfY{ When North and South Yemen united ½ZfY{¾ËYZed§³ Z¼eZ À¼ËZeÄ»Z¿ÁZ] in 1990, there were a number of legal ÕYļqÄ]»Y¾ËY |¿Z]¹Â¼ÔYÄ]Y gray areas that the new government ignored - the more liberal South Yemen Z¿¶ËZ¼e |¶Ë|^eÖ¸¸¼·Y¾Ì]dËZ¼uÕY] had a minimum marriage age of 16, while d»ÁZ¬»Á½Z¯{¯Á½Z¿©Â¬uÕY]ÃZ^»Ä] the North had one of 15. Ultimately the }¨¿dveÕZÅÃZ³{Y{YÖZ¿[ZY]Y]{ Northern age limit was adopted; however, {Y»¾ËY{ÁY |¿Z¯Ä]Z»{Y»Ä]YÁY,½Y{» it was abandoned nine years later when the Ä]d^¿Ã|ÀËY§Öy¿Z]Ze{¯®¼¯½Z¯{¯Ä] minimum age of marriage was altogether |¿Ì´]©Ô½Z¿YÅÂY,µZ abolished, dooming the lives of many young girls in Yemen. Yemen has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Ö¿|»ÕZ§ the world (370 per 100,000), due in large {Ö·Z¼¾¼ËÁÖ]ÂÀm¾¼Ë{ZveYYa part to the fact that many girls under the d¸¨£{»֫¬u¶ËZ»YÖy],µZ age of 15 are forced to have children of their own. 11 There was no progress on the ,eµY^Ì· Ö]ÂÀm ¾¼Ë | «YÁ |Ë|m d»Â°u issue of child brides until Nujood’s case Ö·Zu{{Â]µZkYÁ{Y¾¶«Y|uÕYY{ went public in April 2008 and propelled dËZÆ¿{ {Â]µZ,µZ¼ÕY]º«¾ËYį WKH Message and Audience Yd̬§Â»Z]|¿YÄf¿YÂe½Z¯{¯YÖ¯|¿Y{Y| e Many organizations, such as the Ä]YËY¾ËYÁY |¿Ì´]©Ô½Z¿YÅ Yemeni Women’s Union, the Seyaj ÄËÆ»,©Ô{į|Å{Ö»d^¿Â»¾ËY Organization for Child Protection, the Girls World Communication Center, and Á { dyY{aZ] Å Ä] ZWm ZË Ô¯ |ËZ] the Sisters’ Arab Forum for Human Rights |À¿YÂf]į|À¿MYe̬§, ÁÃ{Y¿Zy\¸£Y not only push for legal reform, they also eY§ |ÀÀ¯dyY{aZ]¶»Z¯ÂÄ]Y¢¸^»¾ËY offer programs to help keep girls from d^iÖËZm{|ËZ]ZÅ©ÔÄ°¿M¶Ì·{Ä],½MY entering into marriages at young ages. ÕZfÁ½Z¼Å\¸£YįÃ{Y{wkYÁ{Yį{ The Girls World Communication Center ,¥Ö] Ì£ ÕYĸÌ^« ÖZ« ®Ë ,dY Å (GWCC), a part of the Yemeni Youth |¿YÖ·Z¼fuYZ]YµZÁ¾º¯fy{®Ë Development Foundation, was set up through Glamour Magazine with donations |Å{Ö»©Ô \Zz»Á¹ZÌa ,ÖÀ¼Ë½Z¿ÄË{ZveY¶j»ZŽZ»ZYÕZÌ] ¯» ,½Z¯{¯ Y dËZ¼u ÕY] kZÌ ½Z»Z ½YÅYÂy[½Â^ËeÁ½Yfy{Ö¿ZÆmcZZ^eY cZuÔY{^ÌaµZ^¿{Ä]ZÆÀeÄ¿,]©Â¬uÕY] Ä]®¼¯ÕY]Ì¿ÖËZÅÄ»Z¿]Ä°¸]|ÀfÅֿ¿Z« ¾ÌËZa¾ÌÀ{kYÁ{YÄ]{ÁÁY½Yfy{¾fY{Z] ½Yfy{Ö¿ZÆmcZZ^eY¯» |ÀÀ¯Ö»Ä ½Z¿YÂm¿ Á ½Z¯{¯ Ä Âe {ZÌÀ] Y ÕYÄ^ ȸn» Õ Y Äf§ZËZfyY ÕZËY|Å Z] ÖÀ¼Ë to Nujood’s cause to do just that. 17 Located ¶°,{Ân¿¥|Ž|ÌÄnÌf¿Ä]dÆm»Գ in Sana'a, the GWCC provides educational Ä¿ÓZ,Ã|«YÁZ À{į¯»¾ËY d§³ programs, including language classes Á ½Z] ÕZÅ Ô¯ ¶»Z Ö»M ÕZÅÄ»Z¿] and computer training, to roughly 2,000 Äfy{{Á|uÕY]eÂÌb»Z¯Â»M girls each year - most of them at no cost ĽZ´ËYÂÄ]ZÅÄ»Z¿]¾ËYj¯Y |À¯Ö» because their families cannot afford to pay. 18 ZÆ¿MÕZÅÄÀËÅ|À¿YÂeÖ¼¿ZÅÃ{Y¿Zy½Âq|¿ÂÖ» Wafa Ahmad of the Yemeni Women’s |ÀÀ¯dyY{aY Union argues, “These early marriages rob |˳ֻ ÖÀ¼Ë ½Z¿ ÄË{ZveY Y |¼uY Z§Á the girl of the right to a normal childhood ½YÁ{ ®Ë ªu ,¹Z´ÀÅ {Á ÕZÅkYÁ{Y ¾ËY and education. The girls are forced to have fy{ ½Z¯{¯ Y Y »M Á Õ{Z Ö¯{¯ children before their bodies are fully grown ½Z¿|] Ä°¿M Y Ìa ½Yfy{ |À¯Ö» \¸ www.tavaana.org ¾¼Ë{½Z¯{¯kYÁ{YÄ̸ÃZ^»-Ö¸{Ân¿ instead of going to school and playing with |¿ÂÖ» Â^n» Är] ¾fY{ Ä] |À¯ | Ô»Z¯ other children.” 19 ´Ë{½Z¯{¯Z]ÁÄf§Ä|»Ä]Ä°¿MÕZmÄ] Outreach Activities |ÀÀ¯ÕZ] In 2008, both Nujood Ali and Shada Nasser became global icons when they were f³Y§ÕZÅdÌ·Z § awarded Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year Award. Condoleezza Rice was Z¿ Y{Z Á Ö¸ {Ân¿ , µZ { excited to meet Nujood, stating that she Ä] »Գ ȸn» µZ ½Z¿ ÃËZm d§ZË{ Z] “was going to be a great inspiration.” 20 The ËYYÌ·Á|¿Â¯ |¿|¶Ë|^eÖ¿ZÆmÕZÅÃÆq publicity and recognition Nujood received dY{ZÆYÁ|Ã{½ZnÌÅ{Ân¿Z]cZ«Ô»Y via the award inspired people all over the z]¹ZÆ·Y ®Ë Ä] ½| ¶Ë|^e µZu { ÁY į world to donate money to a scholarship Y {Ân¿ į Ö»YfuY Á cÆ dY ±] that paid for Nujood’s education, Y{Y¹{»,{ÁMd{Ä]ÃËZmd§ZË{ as well as the Glamour fund which later formed the GWCC. Nujood has written dÆmÖ»M Â]®ËÄ]Ze{¯ªËÂe½ZÆm a book about her experience, entitled Ä]®¼¯ÕY]»Գ©Á|ÀÁ{Ân¿Â»M I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, Ä]Y| ]©Á|À¾ËY |ÀÀ¯Ö·Z»®¼¯,½Yfy{ which became an instant best-seller {Ân¿ |¶Ë|^e½Yfy{Ö¿ZÆmcZZ^eY¯» in France, where it was published. {Ân¿¾» ½YÂÀZ]ËÂyÄ]ne{»{Ö]Zf¯ She is currently enrolled in a private {ĸZ§Ô]įd¿ Ĭ¸»ÁÄ·ZÃ{,ºfÅ school in Yemen thanks to generous µZu{ÁY |Á§a,Ä¿Y§,Zf¿Y¶v» donations. Nujood’s story has embroiled the ®Ë{,Ö·Z»ÕZÅ®¼¯YÕ̳ÃÆ]Z]Zu nation in a debate about the merits and dYÃ{¯¹Z¿d^i¾¼Ë{ÖÂyÄ|» disadvantages of a law restricting marriage {»{hv]¾f§³{\m»{Ân¿½ZfY{ to those over the age of 17. Though ½{¯{Á|v»ÕY]½Â¿Z«®ËÕZÅÁ§ZÀ» Nujood was only 10 at the time, her case Äq³ dY Ã| µZ ÕÓZ] {Y§Y kYÁ{Y reached the entire world, bringing the ÁY ½ZfY{ ,{Â] Ä·Z ©Ô ½Z» { {Ân¿ issue to the forefront of human rights »½ZfY{¾ËY |fÀ»½ZÆmY{ policy-making in Yemen and the wider Muslim world. ½ZÆm Á ¾¼Ë { Õ] ©Â¬u ÕY~³dZÌ {ÁMÖ¸¸¼·Y¾Ì]ÄÄ]Y¹ÔY Footnotes ZÅd¿Öa 1. Daragahi, Borzou. “Yemeni bride, 10, says I won’t.” LA Times. June 11, 2008. 2. “Wedlocked.” CNN Untold Stories. August 29, 2009. 3. Daragahi. ½Z¿©Â¬u ZÅÄ]ne www.tavaana.org 4. Ibid. 5. Jamjoon, Mohammed. “Yemeni child bride dies of internal bleeding.” CNN. April 9, 2010. 6. Ali, Nujood and Delphine Minoui. I am Nujood, Aged 10 and Divorced. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2010. Pg. 18. 7. Ibid. pg. 108. 8. Ibid. Front cover. 9. Daragahi. 10. Hersh, Joshua. “A Ten Year Old’s Divorce Lawyer.” The New Yorker. March 4, 2010. 11. UNICEF Basic Statistics. “At a Glance: Yemen.” March 2, 2010. 12. IRIN. “Yemen: Deep divisions over child brides.” March 28, 2010. 13. Ibid. 14. Jamjoon. 15. IRIN. “Yemen: I’d rather die than go back to him.” February 21, 2010. 16. Ibid. 17. Power, Carla. “Women of the Year Fund Honorees: Nujood Ali and Shada Nasser.” Glamour. 2008. 18. UNIFEM. “Two Voices against Child Marriage and for Education.” November 7, 2008. 19. Ibid. 20. Hersh. Learn More |Ì¿Y|]fÌ] News and Analysis ZÅÄ·Z¬»ÁZÅ^y Al-Haj, Ahmed. “Yemeni Child Bride, 12, Dies in Labor.” CBS News. September 13, 2009. Babylon & Beyond blog (LA Times). “Yemen: Child divorcee Nujood Ali takes Manhattan.” November 12, 2008. Babylon & Beyond blog (LA Times). “Yemen: Two years after divorce, life is looking up for Nujood Ali, now age 12.” 9 March, 2010. %%&³6DXGLFKLOGµ¿OHVIRUGLYRUFH¶´$XJXVW CNN. “Helping child brides break free.” September 26, 2008. Daragahi, Borzou. “Yemeni bride, 10, says I won’t.” LA Times. June 11, 2008. Freedom House. "Yemen: Freedom in the World." Hersh, Joshua. “A Ten Year Old’s Divorce Lawyer.” The New Yorker. March 4, 2010. IRIN. “Yemen: Child bride gets her divorce.” March 28, 2010. IRIN. “Yemen: Deep divisions over child brides.” March 28, 2010. IRIN. “Yemen: I’d rather die than go back to him.” February 21, 2010. Jamjoon, Mohammed. “Yemeni child bride dies of internal bleeding.” CNN. April 9, 2010. Marie Claire. “Nujood Ali: Married at 9; Divorced at 10.” June 11, 2010. Power, Carla. “Women of the Year Fund Honorees: Nujood Ali and Shada Nasser.” Glamour. 2008. Seyaj Organization for Childhood Protection. UNICEF Basic Statistics. “At a Glance: Yemen.” March 2, 2010. UNIFEM. “Two Voices against Child Marriage and for Education.” November 7, 2008. www.tavaana.org ¾¼Ë{½Z¯{¯kYÁ{YÄ̸ÃZ^»-Ö¸{Ân¿ Youth Leadership Development Organization. Wikipedia. “Nujood Ali.” Books ZÅ[Zf¯ Ali, Nujood and Delphine Minoui. I am Nujood, Aged 10 and Divorced. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2010. Videos ZÅÂW|ËÁ “Muslim girl (10) Demands Divorce.” Youtube. September 2, 2008. “Nujood Ali 10 years old from Yemen got divorce.” Youtube. September 27, 2008. “Wedlocked.” CNN Untold Stories. August 29, 2009.