CHILD BRIDE HONOURED BY GLAMOUR MAG!
CHILD BRIDE HONOURED BY GLAMOUR MAG!
WOMAN OF THE YEAR: NUJOOD ALI: A Yemeni child bride, who gained international renown after refusing to accept a forced marriage to a man nearly three times her age, received an award as a "Woman of the Year" alongside nine others on Monday.
Nujood Ali, who is now 10, was chosen for the award after her unusual story of rebellion against an arranged marriage made her an international celebrity, with her story highlighted by various magazines and TV networks. Like many young girls in Yemen, where the majority are Muslim, Ali was pulled out of second-grade from her school in the capital Sanaa by her impoverished father and married to a man in his 30s. He beat and sexually assaulted her. Under Yemeni law the minimum age of marriage is 15, according to the US Department of State, but tribal customs and interpretations of Islam often override this and girls are married much earlier with bride-price payments widespread.
But rather than accept traditional custom, Ali went to court, got the help of a human rights lawyer and successfully filed for divorce in April this year.
IN THIS PICTURE: Nujood Ali and her lawyer Shada Nasser leave the stage after being honored at the Glamour Women of the Year awards on Monday, November 10, 2008 in New York. (Image Courtesy: AP)
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