Age 10 and Divorced

Women's rights have always fascinated me, and particularly after having a few experiences in India where I saw the way females are discriminated against, I have had a greater interest in this issue. I picked up the book I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced and read it quite quickly. It was a short, quick read but every page holds valuable descriptions and stories.

Nujood grew up in Yemen and was never allowed to go to school. Illiterate and poor, her parents married her off when she was only ten years old. Her husband promised them that he would not touch her until she reached puberty, but from her wedding day, she was raped and beaten every night. At ten years old she went to court, something that a young girl in Yemen had never done, and became the youngest divorcee in the world.

I would highly recommend this book to all teenage girls and women. It doesn't just tell Nujood's story, but it goes into detail about the complex issues that caused her to become a child bride. It does more than tell her story; it recognizes the issues that need to be changed so we can prevent it in the future.

52% of girls in Yemen marry before they are 18, and many of these girls have not yet reached puberty. How can you help? The Girls World Communication Center recently launched a new program that helps girls who have been forced to leave school and those who are young victims of early marriage to continue their educations. It was the first langauge center in Yemen catering exclusively to girls. Contact gwcc@yldf.org or go to the website at www.yldf.org In the book it also says that Oxfam is doing great work in the country.


Nujood was named a Woman Of The Year by Glamour. Read the article HERE.