I Am Nujood Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui

This girl Nujood Ali is living example of courage . This is an autobiography of this girl who had typical yemeni life at Khardji which literally means 'outside'.She is the sixth child born to Ali Mohammad al-Ahdel and Shoya.Her situations were not unique in fact thousands girls all over the world are facing same even more , but it takes a strong will and intelligence to get herself out of it at such a young age that male dominant society. The innocence and childish character comes alive when she explains her life at Khardji specially her relationship with her mother and her siblings.


They were forced to leave Khardji and settled down it relatively new place, the capital city Saana.The life in Saana was very hard as her father was not able to find a permanent job.Her father, disabled and addicted khat, agreed to have her married to a man much older to her. Nujood who does not know anything about marriage listen to her parents and married to Faez Ali Thamel ,an thirty year old businessman from Khardji.To make the matters worse , she is sent back to live in the barren village Khardji where there is no electricity and other amenities.Her world was turned upside down.Her new husband had promised her father not to consummate the marriage until she hit puberty, but broke that promise.He beat her and abused her in many ways and her mother in law was also abusing her forgetting that she is just 10 year old.Nujood is forced to engage in unnatural sexual encounters  by night and  heavy kitchen work by day time.


When her husband took her to visit her family, with the help of mother and  Dowla her father's second wife,she escaped and went straight to Court.There the judges were very helpful and she was taken care of by a well known lawyer Khaleh Shada Nasser.Shada  is a feminist and well known human rights activitist.Hamed Thabet ,reporter of Yemen Times published Nujood's case which caused a great media attention and gave lot of support to Nujood.In the court Nujood's husband denies all accusations of ill-treatment,sexual abuse and swears that she was 13 and he wanted the dowry money back. Nujood was heartbroken and scared that judges will misjudge but Shada donated her money so that Nujood would get divorce.Atlast she was granted divorce by the judges who were very sympathetic .Her life changed after the judgement she became the youngest divorcee  in the world, she set an example other girls to follow what should be called 'great injustice to child'.


Polygamy and child marriage are still common in Yemen.Because of Nujood many small girls are living a new life.Great book to read, infact 64 pages makes it even more interesting..


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