I had recently read an article in Reader's Digest (March issue) about a 10-year-old girl from Yemen who was forced into marriage by her own father because of extreme poverty. In their tribal culture and tradition, girls as young as 13 can get married and the husband-to-be will give the girl's family a dowry which usually comes in the form of money.
Nujood is just like any other 10-year-olds. She loves to go to school and plays a lot with her brothers and sisters. But all that had changed when her Aba (father in Yemeni) arranged for her to get married with a 30-year-old man. Nujood was briefly told about this arranged marriage but she was in no position to question or even complain. Girls and women in Yemen are subservient to their male counterparts, as it is very untoward for girls to disagree.
The marriage ceremony took place and very soon, Nujood was fetched by her new husband who she just saw for the very first time. Life for Nujood changed for the worse. In her husband's house, she was treated like a slave cleaning floors, cutting vegetables, and doing errands for her mother-in-law and at night, she was forced to have sex with her husband. It was arranged between Nujood's husband and her Aba at first, that Nujood won't be touched until she reaches the age of 13 but all that was not followed and their marriage was consummated even from the very first night.
Nujood's story moved me and I felt so much great pity for young girls like her who live in situations like this where escape seems impossible. But not for Nujood- she was able to find a way to go to a court house and file for divorce. As strange as it sounds, filing for divorce even if she's just 10 years old is the only way to escape her horrific life. In the end, Nujood was divorced from her abusive spouse and she returned to her family. An international humanitarian organization is helping her now to get the education she needs and she has more time to play with her siblings. She's happy to where she is now and is more protective towards her younger siblings who might fall into the same trap. Should the same thing happen to her younger sister, Nujood knows exactly what to do- 'she'll call the police.'
Nujood's experience could be the perfect plot for a documentary film but the horrors she went through were unfortunately real. Young girls are given off by their families in marriage at a very young age in certain tribal villages in Yemen. Nujood's case was extraordinary as she was only 10 years old and the agreement made by both parties was not fulfilled. One may think that not only are her rights as a child were violated but as well as that she's a victim of rape under the hands of her husband. The trauma she went through was unbearable for a young innocent girl like her. Not only did she suffer too much pain but she was also beaten and physically abused by her husband and mother-in-law.
I could go in lengths rambling about the injustices suffered by children like her in a country where traditions seem not to protect the welfare of everyone esepcially girls and women. Traditions for one may be good to help preserve the identity of a certain population but if it's 'backward' and denies the very basic rights of its people, I think it's time for change. Easy to say but hard to do- I think that we will always have injustice in this world. People come from different backgrounds and are brought up in different cultures and traditions.
But I do hope that for young children like Nujood who is supposed to just enjoy being a young child can be out there to play as long as she wants; enjoy the presence of her family; and learn new things in school. The only thing she has to worry is how to be a child and that's all. For the rest of us who live in places where children's rights are looked after, let us also uphold the basic rights of children like Nujood.
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