Earlier this month, Nada al-Ahdal uploaded a video on Youtube in which she claims to have ran away from her home after her parents sought to force her into an unwanted marriage with a man much older than her.
The 11-year old's testimony almost immediately turned viral as media organizations and activists stood horrified before such cruelty. How could Yemeni parents be so heartless as to willingly condemn their child to a lifetime of abuse and misery, using Islam to justify their criminal actions, they all asked, never questioning Nada's intentions or even caring to check her story.
While newspapers after newspapers from the Guardian to the Independent, the Inquisitor, Google, Yahoo UPI, all chose to feed the Nada's phenomenon by validating her account through their media coverage only the Yemen Post chose to ignore the hype in search of the truth.
Why much of the press chose to see the worse in Yemen' society as the sensational always sell more newspapers than the truth these days, the Yemen Post chose to investigate Nada's claims, only to find that her story stands on empty.
There is not a shed of truth to Nada's allegation of child marriage.
Her so-called bravery was but a scam aimed to grant her instant fame and recognition. Coerced by her uncle, Abdel Salam al-Ahdal, a montage and graphics technician at a TV station; if Nada is a victim it is of her uncle's greed, not her parents.
Al-Ahdal believed he could turn Nada into another Nujood and thus financially benefit from her fame. Nujood rose to fame in 2008 when at 8-years old she bravely refused the abuse of her husband and asked a judge to grant her a divorce.
It is important to note at this stage that while child marriage is a very serious issue indeed, one which will require careful attention by the state and the religious authorities, western media have often blown facts out of proportion for the sake of readership, often not understanding Yemen tribal traditions, thus misleading the public.
While girls as young as 8 years old can in tribal settings be promised in marriage, the union itself will not be celebrated or consummated until the girl is of acceptable age.
It is this misunderstanding in semantic which has led the media to report unjustly on Yemen's child marriages when really they are but symbolic unions, a promise made between two families, in keeping with traditions.
And if in truce young girls have been forced into unwanted union much too early by their families, such cases are not the norm, only the exception.
Yemenis do care deeply for their children and alleging that parents could so easily dispose of their girls as if they were commodities is preposterous.
Yemen Women Union has confirmed that Nada has been under its care since Sunday after the authorities decided to remove her from uncle's care. Nada has been looked after by her paternal uncle for the past 18 months.
She never actually ran away as she claimed in her video because she was not living with her parents at the time of the alleged force marriage.
Ramizia Al-Eryani, President of Yemen Women Union told the Yemen Post that Nada was being looked after and that she expected she would be returned to her parents this coming Saturday.
Ramizia said she was very angry toward the news community as the publication of fallacious statements takes away from Yemen's real issue and hinder rights organizations to make progress on the ground.
She insisted that if indeed Nada had felt concerned over her safety she could have sought help much differently than by taking her story to the media.
Rights activists have also deplored the speed at which Yemen was vilified, its society branded barbaric over the unproven allegations of one little girl, whose parent failed to warn against Crying Wolf.
Quick to pass judgment, news organizations failed to look beyond Nada's video testimony, so determined to be the first to report on a good story.
While newspapers will soon be thrown away, Nada and her family will have to deal with the aftermath of her lies and clumsy claim for fame.
Al-Ahdal's family has seen its name drag through the mud over several continents; Nada's family will have now to bear accusatory looks as no retraction will ever wash away the cloud of doubt which will now follow in their footsteps.
In a bid to end the publication of false reports of abuse , Siyaj Child Rights organization issued an statement in the press in which it unequivocably rejects Nada's allegations.
"Nada's claims that she was to be married are not real. Nada tried to exploit the 's public's opinion for personal and financial gain, hoping that like Nujood before her story would grant her status.
Nada is not a victim of child marriage!"
The Interior Ministry also rejected Nada's claims as unfounded after an investigation established that her parents had neither sought nor planned to marry her off.
Despite officials' best efforts and the publication of official statements by Yemen's most prominent child rights organizations the media have chosen to perpetuate Nada's fabrications, something the Yemen Post strongly condemns.
“Credibility is key and media, mostly international, did not investigate when reporting about the Nada marriage claims. Journalists need to look at the complete picture before reporting on such a sensitive issue,” said Hakim Almasmari, the editor of the Yemen Post.
We talked to all the concerned sides over the last week before reporting. The concerned sides will publish statements confirming the investigative results we reached,” he added.