fight against child marriage

February 2008, Nujood Ali, just 10 years old, was married to a man three times her age so that her family could escape the economic burden of raising children.[1] Nujood’s case was not uncommon in Yemen; in fact, most Yemeni girls marry older men before the age of 18. Nujood, who had no desire to be married, was continually raped and beaten by her 30-year old husband from the onset of their marriage. Almost two months after their wedding, Nujood escaped her husband’s hme and took a taxi to a courthouse in Sana’a, where she hoped to f

ile for divorce. After waiting nearly all day at the courthouse, a compassionate judge finally heard Nujood’s story and took her home to his family for the weekend; he also had both Nujood’s father and husband arrested. Nujood was then assigned to human rights lawyer Shada Nasser as her counsel, who successfully made her case in a court that granted Nujood a divorce from her husband. Once Nujood’s story had been picked up by international media outlets, it raised the profile of one of Yemen’s most troubling, socially-embedded customs: child brides. While several organizations exist in Yemen to combat child marriage, Nujood’s case sparked an overarching call to action from both the Yemeni and international communities. Goals and Objectives While Nujood was focused on escaping her abusive marriage, she was also eager to return to her younger sister in order to protect her from the same fate. Nujood says, “I did it so that people would listen and think again about marrying off their daughters so young.”[2] Shada Nasser, as Nujood’s lawyer, also hoped that Nujood’s high profile case would demonstrate to other young girls that they don’t have to remain trapped in abusive marriages.[3] Shada Nasser, alongside supportive children’s and women’s rights groups, agrees that the best cure for the child bride epidemic is education, which is a crucial supplementary goal for combatants of child brides in Yemen. With nearly 75% of Yemeni women illiterate and many too poor to go to school, families feel forced to marry their daughters to older men

who many hope will raise the girls.[4] Parents generally do not believe that marriages will be consummated within the first few years, as it is forbidden by Yemeni law until the girl has reached puberty. However, in Yemen, husbands cannot be tried for sexual violence against their wives, making rape against young brides an act impossible to prevent. Changing the law is an important step, but educating young girls and convincing families not to marry their daughters at an early age are equally instrumental.[5] Leadership Nujood’s courageous decision to end her marriage was a historic event for Yemen, as few precedents existed for her action. As Nujood said, “I’m a simple village girl whose family had to move to the capital, and I have always obeyed the orders of my fathers and brothers. Since forever, I have learned to say yes to everything. Today I have decided to say no.”[6] Nujood’s accounts of the trial reveal her shock and awe that her case could draw such attention: “I would never have imagined stirring up so much interest. 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] Nujood’s case would have been hard to win without the help and guidance of Shada Nasser, a prominent human rights lawyer in Yemen. Upon learning of Nujood’s story from a sympathetic judge in Sana’a, Nasser contacted the Yemen Times to spread Nujood’s story, leading to groundswells of international support.[9] Nasser’s desire to fight for the rights of women and girls and her refusal to be intimidated by the male-dominated courts of Yemen have led her to take on similar cases, helping child brides divorce their husbands at an increasing rate since 2008.[10]