Reem Al Numery Explained

Reem Al Numery (Arabic: ريم النميري; born 1996) is a children's rights activist in Yemen. Known for resisting child marriage, she was honored by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on March 11, 2009, with the International Women of Courage Award.^[1] She was listed in the Time Magazine 2010 100 Most Influential People in the World.^[2]

At age 12, at the end of her school year, Al Numery was forced to marry her 30-year-old cousin. She refused, and was bound and gagged by her father for the ceremony. She described to the U.S. Consul how her husband raped her in order to consummate the marriage.^[3]

After two attempts at suicide and a great deal of international attention she was finally granted a divorce by a Yemeni judge. As of 2010 Al Numery lived with her mother.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Speech in Honor of International Women's Day. 8 March 2010. 6 August 2015. Embassy of the United States - Yemen. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150405221742/http://yemen.usembassy.gov/iwds.html. 5 April 2015.
2. The 2010 Time 100 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100502135345/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984949_1985230,00.html . dead . May 2, 2010 . Time . 2010-04-29.
3. Web site: Child Bride Fights Against Forced Marriage. March 6, 2009. America.gov. 29 April 2010. 12 March 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090312052948/http://www.america.gov/st/hr-english/2009/March/20090306161153ajesrom0.9992792.html. dead.
4. Reem Al Numery. https://web.archive.org/web/20100502135345/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984949_1985230,00.html. dead. May 2, 2010. Steinem. Gloria. April 29, 2010. Time. 29 April 2010.