Sally: A victim of civil society organizations and the authorities in charge

In the previous issue of the Yemen Observer, we published a news story about a young girl who was married at the age of 11 to a 25 year old man.

Sally is not the only victim of early marriage, however her story was published and became known to everybody, particularly the civil society organizations who act in these types of social issues.

Some of these civil society organizations responded positively to the news story and contacted us to get Sally’s and her family’s address. Others filed a case against Sally’s father, her new husband and against the clerk that wrote the marriage contract. Some activists drove to Hajjah governorate and complained to the authorities there, asking them to release the innocent Sally from her husband. They staged a protest in Hajja to lobby against early marriages. Many other activists launched an awareness campaign in Hajja and persuaded the Sheikhs and local dignitaries and religious men and scholars to intervene to convince her husband to divorce her and get his dowry back.

Sally’s husband refused the activists’ demands, and pulled out his jambia to threaten one of the activists. I interfered to try and protect the activist, and the angry husband stabbed me in my hand instead.

Suddenly I woke up, horrified, only to discover that these actions in protest of the young child’s marriage had all been a nightmare. 

Unfortunately, none of the civil organizations or the activists bothered themselves to even inquire about poor Sally.

These civil society organizations only care about organizing conferences and seminars at which they spend the funds they have received from the government and from international organizations and donors. But on the ground they do nothing at all.

None of the civil society organizations interfered to stop the illegal marriage of 11 year old Sally.

Even after her story was published they did not contact us to ask about her, simply because she is poor and they know well they cannot make money or gain any benefit from involving themselves in this issue.

This reminded me of the story of Amina, who was accused of killing her husband and was sentenced to death although she was only 15 years old when her husband died. 

When we first published Amina’s story none of the local organizations cared about it until a few European organizations learned about her and launched a campaign to help her.

Amina’s tragedy was resolved when Khadija al-Salami filmed her story in prison and met with the president of the republic to inform him on the issue. Amina was released from prison after seven years of suffering and misery.

Then and only then did the local civil society organizations intervene to tell her story and claim they were the cause of her release.

Amina was a victim of early marriage and Sally is the newest young girl to follow in her tragic footsteps.

When will the civil society organizations interfere? Will they interfere only when she kills her husband or when her husband kills her?

Sally’s marriage is a crime. The criminals involved in her marriage so far are her father, her husband and the clerk that wrote the marriage contract.

But after her story was published and none of the concerned authorities or civil society organizations interfered, the circle of criminals involved in this crime enlarged to include the officials at the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Human Rights and all civil society organizations that have been closing their eyes to this issue.  Sally’s marriage is a clear crime and is a clear violation of the law. The 11 year old Sally is being raped with the approval of her father and now with the approval of the authorities in charge and those who have the power to do something about it.

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