Women’s Experiences of Violence in I Am ‎Nujood, Age10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali and ‎Delphine Minoui

This paper seeks to explore the relationship between orientation difference and gender-based violence in the novel I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced (2010). It seeks to analyze the experiences of Nujood and the impact of this difference on her vulnerability to violence. Women in Yemeni families are subject to various forms of segregation and violence which can be attributed to various factors. However, it is generally accepted that the majority of these outcomes are due to the social inferiority of women due to the structural of force which results in their discrimination and violence. Feminist perspectives on the experiences of women who have been subjected to violence are explored using Galtung's Violence Theory (1990). The novel portrays the brutality and persecution Nujood faces in a rural area of Yemen. Nujood seeks the help of a Yemeni court in order to escape this terrible situation and expresses her sympathy towards the people. It is suggested that the violence Nujood experiences is both of a direct and structural nature, both of which are the result of cultural violence based on male-centrism.