Although having suffered sexual and domestic abuse at the hands of her 30 year old husband, 8 year old, Nojoud Nasser was too young to seek a divorce in a Yemeni court. However, when court judge Muhammed Al-Qathi heard her complaint he thankfully put aside his 'Islamic values' and 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. 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.”
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. “This law is highly dangerous because it brings an end to a young girl’s happiness and future fruitful life."
