“I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced”
Introduction
In the society, women can be prone to different kinds of violence. The book “I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced” is a true representative of this. Written from the first person, it is a real expression of the experiences of Nujood Ali and her suffering. This is a personal autobiography of the little Yemen girl who was married off when she was only 10 years of age.
In Yemen, young girls are forcefully married off to men who are way ahead of them in terms of age. It might be that many of them do not come out to challenge the decisions that are imposed on them by their families. However, Nujood had the courage to come out and speak on behalf of other young girls like her and also women who are forced into suffering and oppression. Young girls should not be forced into marriage and it is important to understand that education is very important even for the girl child.
Discussion
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced is the story of Nujood Ali, a girl from Yemen who was forced by her family to marry a man more than three times her tender age. On the day of her wedding, Nujood sits in a corner sobbing. Though the young girl’s mother was not happy about the act, she could not object. As Nujood writes “In our country it’s the men who give the orders, and the women who follow them. For her to defend me was a waste of time” (55).
This shows how the women in Yemen are disrespected and not allowed to make any decisions even those that directly affect them. It is further shown in the way Nujood’s mother responds when she complains to her. She (her mother) tells her “That’s how life is, Nujood: all women must endure this; we have all gone through the same thing” (96).
The book even presents sexual harassment. The man promises the girl’s father that she will not ‘touch’ her until she gets to the puberty stage but this never happens. As Nujood narrates, the man had forced sex with her on the very night that they got married. Following her marriage, Nujood was forced to drop out of school.
Physical harassment is also presented in this book. Nujood’s husband beats her as the girl describes it in very painful ways “I lived in permanent fear of more slaps and blows. Occasionally he even used his fists” (93). This is something that even the mother-in-law does not reprimand. She encourages it and even tells her son “hit her even harder. She must listen to you-she is your wife” (93).
However, being the brave girl that she was, she decided that she could not take it any more. “I’m a simple village girl who has always obeyed the orders of my father and brothers. Since forever, I have learned to say yes to everything. Today I have decided to say no” (194). These are the words of Nujood and she decided to sneak from home.
She had heard that people could be granted divorces by court judges and was determined to get one. After sneaking from her home, Nujood went to the courthouse and requested to talk to a judge to whom she affirmed that she wanted a divorce. Finally, the young girl is granted a divorce and goes back to the same family that sold her off.
The book is presented with a lot of simplicity and it is direct. After writing on her life and the divorce, Nujood further tells of her family’s situation. This demonstrates the inequality as well as the desperation that exists in Yemen. Despite having married the young girl off, the family is still struggling to meet their needs and Nujood even becomes the breadwinner.
In this book, with a lot of courage, Nujood boldly goes against the customs in Yemen. Following the attention that the book received internationally, it has spurred change in Yemen as well as in other countries in the Middle East region. This implies that Nujood stood for the fight of many women and girls in these regions and that laws on underage marriage should gain increased enforcement. Further children who have been subjected to these forced marriages should be rescued, granted divorces and allowed to go back to school.
The story is an encouragement to people that despite the struggles that one passes through, they should always aim and never loose focus. As Nujood cites “Like Shada, I will wear high heels, and I will not cover my face” (162) This implies that she still holds hopes for the future and would like to be Shada, the female lawyer. This book serves as an introduction especially in the Middle East to show that women have rights too and they should be respected.
Conclusion
The book “I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced” gives hope to the young girls who have been forced into marriages that they can always find someone who listens and helps. Just like Nujood was able to go back to school, there is hope for the young girls that the same could also happen to them. There is always hope and some day, the injustices being done to them will be noticed and justice will prevail.
Reference
Ali, N. & Minoui, D. (2010). I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced. Three Rivers Press.
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