SANA’A, April 9 - An eight-year-old girl decided last week to go the Sana’a West Court to prosecute her father, who forced her to marry a 30-year-old man.

Nojoud Muhammed Nasser arrived at court by herself on Wednesday, April 2, looking for a judge to handle her case against her father, Muhammed Nasser, who forced her two months ago to marry Faez Ali Thamer, a man 22 years her senior. The child also asked for a divorce, accusing her husband of sexual and domestic abuse.

According to Yemeni law, Nojoud cannot prosecute, as she is underage. However, court judge Muhammed Al-Qathi heard her complaint and subsequently ordered the arrests of both her father and husband.

“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.

Nasser said that she was exposed to sexual abuse and domestic violence by her husband. “He used to do bad things to me, and I had no idea as to what a marriage is. I would run from one room to another in order to escape, but in the end he would catch me and beat me and then continued to do what he wanted. I cried so much but no one listened to me. One day I ran away from him and came to the court and talked to them.”

...

Shatha Ali Nasser confirmed that item number 15 in Yemeni civil law reads that “no girl or boy can get married before the age of 15." However, this item was amended in 1998 so parents could make a contract of marriage between their children even if they are 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.”

Nasser confirmed that Nojoud Nasser’s case is not the first of its kind in Yemen, but it is the first time that a girl went to court by herself to ask for a divorce.

http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1145...p=front&a=2

A Bit Late, But Yeah...

This father is a perfect case of evil. And a 30 year old? What was he thinking?

That's sick.

That poor little girl! But good for her for standing up for herself! That father and "husband" need to have their privates chopped off! That a man could do that to his own daughter and that her mother and aunt could not intervene is beyond my understanding!

That is one brave, smart little girl. I hope she can use those qualities to grow into a strong woman.

It always makes me sick when people use their traditions/religion as a cover for child abuse, rape, and pedophilia, as in the case of her "husband"; not sure what her father's motivation might have been, but since it doesn't mention a mother, it makes me wonder if he was raising her by himself and didn't want the responsibility anymore, so passed her off to the first taker.

The entire damn family need to punished. what is the world coming to. God Some sick SOBS to do this to a child. Wonder was religion this is. Let me guess and are the savages.

Im all for accepting the ways of other cultures, but that's just barbaric

Most likely why you didn't hear about any women from Yemen is because they have no voice in any matters. Most likely the father got some money for his child. Shame.

Don't worry guys, it's alright, he was just following in the footsteps of the prophet Muhammed!

There seem to be a lot of cases of pedophilia in the news these days...

Is pedophilia becoming more common or are we simply becoming more aware of it?

i would venture to guess it would be the second one.

They have no grasp of what's right or wrong eh..
I never thought it'd come to the day that children were just pieces of fresh meat!

Case Update:

SANAA (Reuters) - A Yemeni court ordered the marriage of an eight-year-old girl terminated on Tuesday because she had not reached puberty.

The court also ordered the child's family to pay about $250 in compensation to the 30-year-old ex-husband.

The girl's lawyer and human rights activist Shatha Nasser said the minor had filed a suit in April asking for divorce and told the court that her husband had been physically abusing her and forcing her to have "sex with him after hitting her."

One of the people attending the trial volunteered to pay the compensation, the lawyer said, but did not explain the reason why the court ordered the compensation.

The ruling terminated the marriage instead of granting a divorce to prevent the husband from seeking to reinstate the marriage, according to the lawyer.

Many minor girls in Arab countries that observe tribal traditions are married to older husbands but not before puberty. Such marriages are also driven by poverty in countries like Yemen, one of the poorest countries outside Africa.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnough...515757520080415

Your going to give that rapist(husband or not he forced her to have sex) compensation and the chance to reinstate the marriage? Human rights? Human wrongs? Humans suck!

If you re-read it, the article states that the court terminated the marriage to prevent the ex-husband from trying to reinstate the marriage, which evidently he could have done if the court had only granted a divorce.

yup ... I wasted my hate again!!!

People still suck

I would've make holes on their privates so they would pee in different directions

Someone get me a gun. That's sick.

Is that all they done???

Why on Earth give him compensation for hitting and raping an 8 year old???????

This world really is upside down.

The gun is right, but that's just WRONG! when are we gonna get a Universal court to fix these sorts of offences?