Woman of the Year 2008

Webster's New World Dictionary defines a woman as being, "an adult female human being." Adult, is defined as being, "grown up, mature." A story this past week has defied and reinvented these definitions.

Daily News, a New York newspaper, reported a story about a ten year old girl, Nujood Ali, who resides in Yemen. She received a woman of the year award sponsored by Glamour Magazine, on November 10, 2008. "The red carpet was a world away from her impoverished life in Sana, where she was yanked out of school at age 9 and married off to a thirty year old courier."

Over the course of two months Nujood was beaten and raped by her so-called husband. She begged for assistance to get out of the marriage. After receiving none from any responsible adult, she decided to find her own, and found her way to a courthouse. She sat there and informed a judge who noticed her in passing that she wanted a divorce. With the judge's kind assistance and a lawyer paid by a willing benefactor, Nujood received her divorce and was returned to her family, the same family who traded her to her brutal husband.

Nujood received the women of the year award, alongside other adult women; Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Nicole Kidman. Being ten years old, her unfortunate life transposed her to earning the title of being a woman. She travels now with her lawyer and shares her nightmare life before her divorce.

The ten year old girls I know for the majority are busy playing around with dolls, or giggling and whispering with other young friends, free of adult responsibilities. Nujood was forced to face the brutal side of life, acting in the duties of a wife for a man who betrayed her innocence. In Yemen, child brides are still common as marriages are being arranged between families. A practice not considered the norm in our culture, but this is the way impoverished families in Yemen obtain money, bartering their young daughters over to older men.

The article reported how mature and brave Nujood appeared when she shared her story with the audience at the award ceremony. Her photo reveals a pretty, young girl wearing a beaming smile, appearing untouched by the horrendous abuse inflicted on her.

The article doesn't report whether this so-called husband was charged with statutory rape or child abuse, or due to the fact they were legally married, domestic violence or sexual abuse charges. The young divorcee was returned to her impoverished family where she could possibly bear the stigma of being soiled due to her religious culture. She's a young child who assumed the role of a woman, someone's wife, and has to deal with the effect of this horrendous mistake as she matures, possibly without medical intervention or psychological therapy. Nujood escaped this custom, but there are others who still live as women in a child's mind and body.

In our country young girls are also forced to face critical issues women face. Young girls deal with mental and physical abuse, drugs, rape, incest, and pregnancy. Girls who recently played with dolls attend school, concealing swollen bellies, bruises, and their fears. They take on responsibilities and concerns their young minds aren't prepared for. In their eyes you can view wisdom beyond their years. Each one should be able to step up on a stage and accept their woman of the year award, because they defy the odds.

What defines a woman? What thrusts a child into womanhood? Sadly the brutal facts of life have turned many of our young girls into women before their time. Unfair, I believe so.

The End