Yemen Diaries: Nadia

I am a girl from a family that is neither rich nor poor. We lived in the countryside and practiced rural life like most rural families. When I was a young girl, I went every day to graze the sheep. One day, when I was 15, I went to the field to graze the sheep alone. A group of young men came and attacked me, harassed me, and touched me. With difficulty, I managed to escape from them in order to find my family and my home. I did not expect that my escape would be my death.

When my family found out what happened, they did not support or defend me. They beat me and imprisoned me in the cows’ stable. They deprived me of food and water. When the people of my village found out what had happened, they insisted my family kill me to restore their honor. The villagers were only happy if I was killed in front of them to ensure my death. My family would be expelled from our village if I was not killed. So, that dawn, one of my brothers took me to a Sheikh in another area so I could marry him and restore my family’s honor. My brother promised that he would come back for me one day.

Days, months, and years passed. I got married, and I wasn’t considered a person. After my marriage, everyone knew my truth: no one had touched my honor that day, and I ran away before shame touched me. But it was useless. None of my family asked about me or wanted to know where I was. Now, I am a mother of three children, and I have no parents.

Nadia*, 25, Yemen