Eight year-old, Nojoud Muhammed Nasser, of Yemen, went to the Sana’a West Court to prosecute her father for making her marry a 30-year-old-man.
The young girl arrived alone, on April 2, to find a judge to take her case against her father, Muhammed Nasser. He forced Nojoud to marry Faez Ali Thamer, 22-years her senior, two months ago.
The child is also seeking a divorce from her supposed sexually and domestically abusive husband.
According to the Yemen Times, “Whenever I wanted to play in the yard he beat me and asked me to go to the bedroom with him. This lasted for two months,” added Nasser. “He was too tough with me, and whenever I asked him for mercy, he beat me and slapped me and then used me. I just want to have a respectful life and divorce him.”
This isn’t the first time this girl has been harmed. “My father beat me and told me that I must marry this man, and if I did not, I would be raped and no law and no sheikh in this country would help me. I refused but I couldn’t stop the marriage,” Nojoud Nasser told the Yemen Times. “I asked and begged my mother, father, and aunt to help me to get divorced. They answered, ‘We can do nothing. If you want you can go to court by yourself.’ So this is what I have done,” she said.
Finally fed up with her life of abuse and neglect, Nasser ran away.
Her husband is currently in jail, stating “Yes I was intimate with her, but I have done nothing wrong, as she is my wife and I have the right and no one can stop me,” he said. “But if the judge or other people insist that I divorce her, I will do it. It’s ok.”
No accusations have been made against her father who was released due to health problems or her still incarcerated husband.
“So far there is no case and no charges, as Nojoud arrived by herself to court asking just for a divorce,” said Shatha Ali Nasser, a lawyer in the Supreme Court who is following Nojoud Nasser’s story.
According to Yemeni civil law “no girl or boy can get married before the age of 15.” This item was amended in 1998, allowing parents to make a contract of marriage between their children under the age of 15. But the husband cannot be intimate with her until she is ready or mature,” said Nasser. “This law is highly dangerous because it brings an end to a young girl’s happiness and future fruitful life. Nojoud did not get married, but she was raped by a 30-year old man.”
Shatha Ali Nasser said, “We are planning to put her in Dar Al-Rahama [an non-governmental organization that works with children], where she can have a better life and education. We do not want her family to pay her expenses, as they are poor.”
For complete details of this story please visit The Yemen Times.
Tamika M. Murray blogs at PJ’s and A Movie and Stop and Stare Photos.
Loading ...
4 users commented in " 8-Year-Old Girl Seeks Divorce "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackGood for her! She’s a plucky little girl. I can’t imagine how much torment she endured. Let’s hope that now she will br protected from such barbarism forever. What kind of parents would allows this to heppen their chilren?
This is what we call women’s right in Islam. A woman came to Prophet Muhammad and complained ” My father forced me to marry this man I don’t like” the Prophet nullified the marriage (Sahih Bukhari)
Compare it with the plight of western women! According to FBI more than 2373 women are raped every day ! and this is only those figures that are registered what about others who cannot even register their complains? This case should be an eye opened for the west
Women are raped every day all ove rht world, my friend. It’s only that America keeps good records and other societies hide these things, and even try to justify them. Besides there are big penalties for child rape in America. In this case they’re not even sure if they’re going to charge the guy. How can they not recognize how grotequesdly evil an act this is unless they hardly have any human feelings? What kind of mother would stand by and watch her daughter’s honor being so crueely and wickedly defiled like this when the child has begged to be released from her plight, the mother knowing how much torment she must surely be experiencing? Besides two wrongs don’t make a right. You don’t justify one crime because someone committed another.
This case should be an eyeopener for the West Nisaar? What about the others that can’t even register their complaints? What are you talking about. How many women and CHILDREN in Yemen can’t/don’t register their complaints? You can’t truly believe they all do, just because this girl did. And this isn’t an example of Islam’s amazing women’s rights, please, this is about ending CHILD ABUSE, although I can’t believe the court isn’t bringing charges against the “husband” just because the girl only asked for a divorce. This is about so-called “religious customs” which allow disgusting reprehensible excuses for parents to sell their children off to pedophiles.
Leave A Reply