Outrage as photos emerge of Egyptian 7 and 4 year old children ‘engaged to be married’. (AA).
News of the ‘engagement’ of two Egyptian children – announced by the
seven-year-old boy's father - has sparked uproar for what could
potentially be among the youngest victims of child marriage.
The
issue of forcing young children into engagement or marriage is an
ongoing problem in Egypt as the government claims it is to enforce harsh
penalties to counter the practice. The engagement ceremony
photos of Zain, a 7-year-old second grader, and his 4–year-old cousin
Faridah hit the internet by storm and provoked a debate on social media
over the ‘rights’ and wrongs of the practice.
According to some
tweets from sources close to the children's family in the al-Qalyubia
province, Faridah’s father selected his nephew as the future husband for
his daughter as an “incentive for excelling academically at school,” a
decision that apparently received the backing of the family.
According to other sources, a dowry of $,1000 (18,000 EGP) was paid to
the girl’s family with the agreement that both children would wed when
they reached legal age.
Video - Lebanese Man Takes His ’12-Year-Old Bride’ in Public, Watch How People Reacted. (Egyptianstreets).
In a renewed attempt to raise awareness about the prevalence of child marriages in Lebanon, nongovernmental organization Kafa (meaning “enough” in Arabic) staged a photoshoot with a middle-aged man and a 12-year-old girl in a wedding dress.
While some passersby did not react and others were visibly disturbed but kept their opinions to themselves, a large number of those who appeared in the video were outraged at the setup.
One woman demanded to know where the young girl’s parents were, exclaiming, “She’s 12! I was jogging but my feet froze when I saw her.”
Another bystander reminded the woman that “the law allows it.”
Child marriages continue to be an issue of great concern in many countries in the region.Read the full story here.
Video - ‘I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced’. HT: Themuslimissue.
In her first feature film, “I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced”, Yemeni director Khadija al-Salami tells the story of Yemen’s most famous child divorcee. But it’s also a retelling of the Paris-based filmmaker’s own life story.
When Nojoom first learned that her father had arranged to marry her off, she did not know her future husband – nor, for that matter, what a marriage was all about.
The 10-year-old native of the Yemeni capital Sanaa believed that marriage entailed a “fairytale princess” white dress. For her – as for many girls across the world – marriage was a sequined fantasy that included a Prince Charming and a vague “happily ever after” ending.
But that’s not what happens in Khadija al-Salami’s film, “I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced” (Ana Nojoom Bent Alasherah Wamotalagah). In the chillingly realistic film, little Nojoom is forcibly married, raped on her wedding night, and subjected to sexual and psychological abuse until she manages to escape. She seeks the protection of a judge in Sanaa who decides to take her case to court. After a farcical trial, Nojoom gets a divorce – the first-ever for a child bride in Yemen.
One in three girls is married before the age of 18 in Yemen and one in seven before the age of 15, according to UNICEF. In September 2013, the case of Rawan, an 8-year-old girl who died of internal bleeding on her wedding night, made international headlines and sparked an outcry against child marriages. Yemen ranks second in the Middle East and North Africa region in early marriages per capita, after Sudan.
The strength of al-Salami’s film is not so much the theme of violence as the way it is portrayed. To illustrate the absurdity of early marriages, the director often juxtaposes the delights of childhood against the brutality of Yemeni traditions. The 10-year-old central character trades her engagement ring for a doll – which she clutches during the wedding ceremonies – and at one point, Nojoom abandons the festivities to slip out and play hopscotch with her friends.
The gritty portrayal is sometimes forced, but never caricatured. Based on the true story of Nujood Ali, a gutsy Yemeni girl who became the world’s youngest divorcée in 2008 after escaping her marriage, the film bears the same title as a book on Ali’s story ghostwritten by French journalist Delphine Minoui.
Now 16, Ali has chosen the name Nojoom, which means “stars in the sky”, instead of Nujood, which means “hidden”.
Women are a curse’
The first feature film by the documentary filmmaker and women’s rights advocate is more than just a retelling of Ali’s case – it’s a reliving of al-Salami’s own story.
“I lived the same experience as Nujood/Nojoom at 11,” said al-Salami at a film screening earlier this week at the Arab World Institute (Institut du Monde Arabe) in Paris. “I had to fight against family, against society. Now that I’m an adult, I wanted to make a movie that was a wake-up call.”
Born in Sanaa, al-Salami was forced into an early marriage at 11 by her uncle, who was her guardian after her mother divorced her violent father. Escaping the abusive marriage was a difficult journey for the young girl, who finally received a scholarship to study in the United States before she settled in Paris.
In the film al-Salami is critical of social customs and the lack of education in a country where 54.5% of Yemenis live below the poverty line.
But the film also presents a nuanced insight into how societal values entrap individuals. During the divorce proceedings, Nojoom’s father and husband are never portrayed as villainous predators but as impoverished, illiterate men unable to comprehend the problem. “But tell me what crime have I committed?” repeats the husband, more fearful of the reaction of his village sheikh than by the court sentencing or the gravity of his act.
At times the director even seems to sympathise with Nojoom’s father. When he uncomprehendingly explains to the judge that he married off his daughter to protect her from being “dishonoured” after her sister was raped by one of the men in the village, he says, “Women are a curse.” The statement is not portrayed as a critique of the father’s patriarchal values, but as a basic postulate rooted in Yemeni society.
“The problem in Yemen is not only the behaviour of the husband or the father, it is above all poverty, illiteracy, ignorance,” explained al-Salami.
The final image of the film features the words, “Knowledge is light,” written on a blackboard.
Clandestine filming
The biggest challenge in tackling the issue of child marriages is the absence of relevant legislation. “There is no law in Yemen banning marriage between partners under 18 years, so we had to find another way of denouncing forced marriages,” al-Salami said. “With this film, I want to force parents to reflect on their actions … For that, I would like to screen the film in every village across my country.”
Given the current security situation in Yemen, it’s unlikely that al-Salami will be able to realise that dream. But the 49-year-old director has been careful to present a realistic portrayal of the story, one that Yemenis can recognise and relate to.
“I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced” was shot entirely in Yemen, despite the difficulties, the obstacles, the lack of a cinema culture — and without authorisation.
Al-Salami shot the film clandestinely, making it the first feature film to be shot entirely on Yemeni soil. “It had to be done there,” she stressed. “I was offered the chance to shoot it in Morocco, and I said no. But I must admit that this shoot was a nightmare from start to finish,” she said with a laugh.
Afraid of being blocked and unable to complete the film, al-Salami kept the subject of the film secret. Even the actors only vaguely knew the theme being addressed. “I was very discreet, all the time. I had to shoot the wedding night scene, for example, on the last day, at the last moment. I also lied to the court for permission to shoot on their premises. I told them I was telling the story of a ‘girl’ who wants a divorce, not a ‘little girl’,” she explained. “The film crew was driven out of some villages, we faced power cuts … it was completely surreal.”
Surreal, but necessary. “It was like a blow to my solar plexus,” said French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, visibly moved, at the screening. She then hugged al-Salami, prompting thunderous applause.
The next challenge for al-Salami is to find a film distributor. “It needs to be seen, it must be shown to the general public. Because everyone needs to know.” More on Child marriage can be found here.
This article has been translated from the original in French.
Turkey court allows couples religious marriage without a legal civil marriage, first 'Islamist' step towards allowing 'Child marriage'? (AJ).
A decision by Turkey's top court to allow citizens to be religiously married without a legally binding civil marriage has triggered an uproar among the country's legal and human rights circles, who argue that the move would threaten the rights of women and children in the country.
The court's judgement decided on Wednesday and announced on Friday argued that it was not possible to indict solely religiously married couples, while it was legal for a woman and a man to live together in Turkey without a religious wedding.
"While individuals practically living together and having children without a religious ceremony or wedding are not being punished, punishing people who made choices in terms of their private lives and had religious marriages displays the [regulation's] intemperance on the issue," the Constitutional Court said.
The judgement has been slammed by many in Turkey from government officials to lawyers and human rights groups.
In a televised interview on Friday, Aysenur Islam, Turkey's minister for family and social policies, said that a legislation or repeal of a legislation which would encourage underage marriages could not be tolerated by her ministry.
"Now that this ruling has been decided, we will have to work [on a new legislation] to prevent children under the age of 18 to be married off through unofficial marriages," she said.
"Everybody knows that underage marriage is illegal in Turkey. And the number of such marriages has significantly decreased, but we have to keep our campaign against them."
Turkish human rights lawyer Ergin Cinmen told Al Jazeera that the court’s judgement is legally intact in terms of national regulations in Turkey, but it is contradictory to certain aspects of the public law, principle of equality, principle of social state and certain social realities in the country.
"The principles of social state and state of law put foremost importance on children's and women's rights," he said.
"If you get rid of the obligation of civil marriage before religious marriage, this will cause problems in terms of children's and women's rights coming from their links to the family, particularly regarding inheritance rights. Although it is legally intact, the verdict is not compatible with certain aspects of the general principle of law."
The Federation of Turkish Women's Associations said in a declaration on Saturday that the judgement would increase the number of men marrying multiple women, underage marriages, paid marriages, and infringements of women's rights in relation to marriages.
The declaration added that the group would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Hmmm......AKP destroying Attaturk's legacy step by step.Read the full story here.
"Advanced Islamist Democracy" Turkey's new plan to give incentives to women marrying early! (AlMonitor).
The Justice and Development Party government is offering incentives to encourage university students to get married before graduation and to have more than three children.
Erdogan who was then prime minister told the girls: "Don’t delay your marriage. Decide quickly and marry while you are studying or immediately after graduation — the minute you find your destiny [kismet]. Don’t be too selective. If you are, you won’t achieve it.”
Immediately after Erdogan's remarks at TURGEV, the Ministry of Families and Social Policies announced a subsidy of 10,000 Turkish lira ($4,000) to couples that marry early.
An additional carrot was offered by Davutoglu who said home savings accounts will be offered to young married couples, with the government adding 15% to the amount saved in five years, if the account remains untouched. If the money in the account is taken out within four years, the subsidy will be 10% and it is reduced to 5% if used in three years.
Another promise Davutoglu made in a series of incentives was to reward childbearing mothers with gold coins.
Davutoglu explained: “Each mother after giving birth will receive 300 lira [$120] as a gift from the state. That equals half a gold coin. This gift will be [increased to] 400 lira [$160] for the second child and 600 lira [$240] for the third. It will be the state that will pin the first gold coin on the mother and the baby.”
Hmmm......I wonder when they will introduce the Cross of Honor of the Turkish Mother? Ein Ummah ....Ein Fuhrer? Read the full story here.
Turkey - Thirteen year old 'Child bride' dies suspicious death in Siirt.(TZ).
Kader Erten, a 13-year-old teenager, was found dead her house in Siirt's Pervari district on Sunday, apparently shot to death.
Erten, whose second child recently died after a premature birth, had married at the age of 12 in an arranged marriage. She gave birth to her first baby at the age of 13.
After her family arranged for her to marry Mehmet Atak two years ago, she moved from her family home in the Çatak district of Van to the Düğümcüler village of Siirt's Pervari district to live with her in-laws. Atak and Erten never legally married.
One year after giving birth to her first child, she became pregnant for the second time. Her husband was conscripted two months ago in the Keşan district of Edirne. On Sunday, the young woman was found dead in her room in her in-laws' home.
The body was sent to Diyarbakır's Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) for an autopsy. The Pervari Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the young woman's suspicious death. Erten's husband has said that she became depressed after the death of her child, shut herself in her room and later committed suicide.
Although her date of birth is listed as July 21, 2000 on her ID card, her parents-in-law claim she is older than 14. "We filed a petition with the courts demanding that her correct age be determined using a bone-age test. Our petition is still being processed," they said.
