In 2002 Ethiopia Calendar (EC), Nuria Mohammed (name changed), a 38-year-old resident of Dese in Ethiopia, married her husband Zeinu Kedir (name changed) in Saudi Arabia, where they were residing at the time.
Their union was arranged by elders in Addis Ababa, as per their religious customs, and the ceremony took place in Saudi Arabia. After spending most of their time in Saudi, they planned to return to Ethiopia, with Zeinu relocating first, while Nuria was to join him after giving birth to their son.
To Nuria’s shock and dismay, upon her arrival in Ethiopia, she discovered that her husband had married another woman and outrightly denied the children they had together. Adding insult to injury, he refused to acknowledge the wealth she had painstakingly earned during their time in Saudi Arabia.
In November 2013 EC, Nuria sought assistance from the Dese Voluntary Committee of the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA). In the ensuing legal battle, her husband persistently denied her status as his wife and rejected any paternity claims.
After a protracted legal process, the court ruled in Nuria’s favor, acknowledging her as Zeinu’s wife and granting her a share of their property.
The court ordered Zeinu to pay 1,200 Ethiopian Birr (EB) monthly for child maintenance and 1,200,000 EB from the market share company. Nuria expressed her profound gratitude to the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association, through the We Cannot Wait Project for their invaluable legal assistance and solidarity, without which this victory would have been unattainable.
