Huda had not yet turned nineteen, when she was forced to give up on her dreams of becoming a doctor and forced to wedlock with tearful eyes and her groom's hand ruthlessly grabbing hers.
Her strangled voice as she told her story revealed the depth of the wound she suffered: "All the attempts to beg did not come up with a result with my mother and father, who were adamant about my marriage, considering that marriage is in my interest", she said.
Inevitable Failure
Huda, who lives in a village in Ibb governorate, central Yemen, got divorced after a marriage that lasted more than a year, to find herself forced to live with a psychological crisis that she did not get rid of, as she says, and her situation developed to the point of rejecting the idea of marriage despite the passage of three years after her tragedy.
Twenty-year-old Samia from Taiz governorate took a different decision. She obeyed a marriage forced by her parents to live a life that she describes as "dying silently" in order to raise her child.
According to Fadhel al-Rabi'i, a Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Arts at Aden University, some marital experiences that began with some form of coercion may end in failure, if the girl is forced to marry a man she does not love and does not want to marry, especially if the coercion is motivated by gaining material interests of the father exploiting his daughter.
According to Fadhel al-Rabi'i, a Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Arts at Aden University, some marital experiences that began with some form of coercion may end in failure, if the girl is forced to marry a man she does not love and does not want to marry, especially if the coercion is motivated by gaining material interests of the father exploiting his daughter.
Insufficient Laws
Article (16) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Yemen ratified in 1986, states that "marriage is legally contracted only with the full and non-coercive consent of the parties. The conclusion of a marriage contract in the absence of the free will of the parties concerned is considered null and void in a number of countries, including the UAE and Oman and forced marriage has become a crime punishable by imprisonment or a fine. However, tribal customs and traditions, limited educational levels and the absence of law enforcement in Yemen are still an obstacle to making any progress in reducing this phenomenon, according to human rights activist Huda Al-Sarari.
Huda points out that forced marriage is one of the issues that are not raised judicially unless the victim files a complaint. At that time she must prove that she was threatened or forced to marry, as it is difficult for her to stand up in court and file a complaint against her father or brothers.
Huda adds: “In Islamic sharia, the virgin’s sign of marriage acceptance is silence, and the married woman should clearly declare her acceptance consent and this is a clear Prophetic Hadith. However, the father sometimes does not follow the sharia and pronounces the acceptance consent, which the girl in this case does not know about until announced by her parents without taking her opinion or consulting her. When the bride’s consent and acceptance conditions are dropped, the marriage contract is considered flawed, and if a legal case is filed, this marriage will be dissolved or annulled”.
Violation of Tribal Norms
Some people consider that tribal customs in Yemen force women to marry and practice a systematic violation against her. However, Sheikh Saleh Mojamal Raoudhan, Chairman of the Supreme Council of tribal custom in Yemen, rejects this. He believes that marrying a girl without her consent and taking her opinion is contrary to the ancestors and tribal customs and if they are still adopted by some tribes, they are invalid and unacceptable customs, and tribal norm condemns and denies it completely.
Sheikh Raoudhan explains that the custom in such matters applies according to the rules of Islamic Sharia and does not violate it. It is the right of the girl to be the lead decision-maker in accepting or rejecting whoever proposes to her because that is a legitimate and customary right guaranteed to her in religion and customs.
As he continues: "Forcing a woman or a man to marry without taking their opinion and consent on this fateful bond has serious consequences, reflected on the couples in particular by disagreements, instability in their marriage, not to mention the loss of children, and consequences for the families of the couples in general as a result of these mistakes and bad habits.
Emotional Wounds
Several psychological effects of forced marriage are confirmed by psychologists, Eman Al-bouraihi, saying: "The psychological effects of a woman when forced to marry are diverse and vary from case to another, she may experience anxiety, stress, depression, lack of self-confidence, frustration, unable to control her life and make her own decisions, in addition to helplessness and weakness, which negatively affects her emotional state.
"Forcing a woman to marry usually leads to a decrease in sexual desire; she feels uncomfortable and resentful of the marital relationship, and this may be the beginning of problems," adds Al-bouraihi.
According to Dr. Fadhel Al-Rubaie, the issue of marriage in our Yemeni society is subject to the conditions and traditional culture of society rather than the individuals themselves, whether the groom or the bride. He believes that the decision belongs to the family, considering that the woman will carry the family name with her, and the elderly believe that they care about the interests of their daughter unlike her, she may fall under the influence of emotions, according to what they see.
Huda and Samia are two more women forced to marry, in light of the masculine and tribal character that prevails in society. It also opens the doors to gender-based violence, domestic violence and physical violence, which requires intensified efforts to raise awareness and pass laws that protect girls and prevent the continuation of these violations.