On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: Yemeni Women, Victims of War and Ongoing Conflict!
Yemen Monitor/Reporting Unit:
By/ Iftikhar Abdo
Today, Monday, November 25th, marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Every year, the world commemorates the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign by raising awareness about women’s rights, the various forms of violence perpetrated against them, and the impact on both women and society as a whole.
This occasion comes at a time when Yemeni women are subjected to numerous forms of violence brought on by war, including physical, sexual, and verbal abuse, as well as being deprived of their rights such as education, inheritance, choosing a life partner, and living without the constant displacement from one place to another.
Many Yemeni women have lost their lives during the war, either through direct sniper fire or shelling, or by the explosion of landmines continuously planted by the Houthis. A large number have sustained permanent disabilities and suffer from severe psychological conditions as a result of the tragic events they have endured.
Human rights activists explain that Yemeni women have suffered greatly since the start of the war and continue to endure violence resulting from the ongoing conflict. They point out that the role of international organizations in this regard has not been sufficient to eliminate, or at least alleviate, this suffering.
Numerous Violations
In this regard, lawyer Ali al-Sarari says: “Since the Houthi militia’s coup against the state and the undermining of its institutions, it has committed numerous violations, including targeting Yemeni women. They have persecuted activists and anyone who opposes the deviant Iranian Houthi project. They have imprisoned a large number of women and girls in unknown locations, blackmailed their families with various things, and leveled many false charges against these women and girls.”
Al-Sarari added to Yemen Monitor, “The Houthi militia has also monitored many girls in the occupied capital, Sana’a, and in other areas under its control. These girls have been subjected to illegal and immoral interrogation. Many girls have been subjected to physical assault, sexual harassment, and rape. There are many cases of girls becoming pregnant as a result of repeated rapes against them.”
He continued, “There are violations that contradict international laws, human rights law, and the four Geneva Conventions, committed by this criminal militia with the aim of breaking Yemeni society! Because Yemeni society is conservative, the militia exploited this by kidnapping women, torturing them, humiliating them and their families, and bargaining for their release with the aim of carrying out operations, either espionage operations against anyone who opposes this militia or other operations that serve the militia’s goals.”
He added, “The Houthi militia has ready-made charges that it levels against girls and students, even those as young as fifteen years old. These charges have been directed at them, and the girls have been forced to sign prepared statements related to prostitution, drug trafficking, and other charges that contradict the values and morals of Yemeni society.”
He further stated, “The Houthi militia has monitored wedding halls and places where women and girls gather in order to pose a threat and danger to anyone who gathers, in order to intimidate them. They have also implemented surveillance within institutes by the Zainabiyat.”
Long Prison Sentences and Death Penalties
Al-Sarari pointed out in his interview with Yemen Monitor, “There are still many women and girls languishing in Houthi militia prisons; in fact, there have been sentences issued either of execution or long prison terms. Among these girls who have been subjected to torture and intimidation is the fashion model, in the folk heritage aspect, Entesar al-Hammadi, and others against whom death sentences have been issued.”
He affirmed, “In areas under the control of the Houthi militia, there are flagrant violations against women, some of which have been made public and others of which have not been known. At the same time, international organizations have not fully fulfilled their duty towards these violations; the International Committee of the Red Cross has not visited those prisons where these women and girls are held to know their suffering, and this has caused the militia to increase its kidnapping and imprisonment operations.”
He pointed out that “there are serious reports issued by many organizations, including “Sam Organization for Rights and Freedoms”, as well as the report of the UN Security Council experts, which spoke of brutal acts against women; this matter requires immediate action by the legitimate government, by international and national organizations, and by the Security Council and the Human Rights Council to take urgent action to save what can be saved in this regard.”
Bitter Suffering
In the same context, human rights activist Sabah Badri says, “The reality of Yemeni women today, amid the ongoing conflict between the parties, is extremely painful. They are the ones who pay the price in the absence of a breadwinner and are deprived of the most basic right, the right to a decent life, away from homelessness and displacement from one place to another.”
She added to Yemen Monitor, “Due to the continued armed conflicts, many Yemeni families, most of whom are women and children, have been displaced. This has forced women to face difficult economic and social conditions. Many Yemeni women today have become the father, mother, and primary breadwinner for their families. This forces them to engage in fierce battles to provide the necessary sustenance for the family.”
Also said, “Yemeni women pay the price of the conflict at all levels. They are not only direct victims of physical, sexual, and verbal violence, but they are also the hidden victims of the violence left behind by the conflict, such as deprivation of education, lack of job opportunities, and insecurity, amid the ongoing conflict between the Yemeni parties. This has imposed restrictions on women in terms of the difficulty of movement and other matters that restrict them.”
She continued, “It is very unfortunate that most of the campaigns held on this occasion focus only on awareness-raising without addressing the root causes that have led women to this situation. The truth is that Yemeni women do not need more speeches, but they need real protection and clear mechanisms to guarantee their rights so that they feel they are active members of society with rights and duties.”
Badri stressed, “The international community must take practical steps to support Yemeni women, whether by providing them with psychological and material support, or by imposing solutions that ensure their involvement in peace-building and reconstruction efforts, or at least alleviating the suffering that women pay a heavy price for, such as the difficult economic and living conditions.”
She pointed out that “there are initiatives from women personalities and leaders, civil society organizations, women’s political components, and networks to contribute to alleviating the difficult humanitarian, social, and economic situation, but these initiatives have not been able to reach all women and provide services to them due to the challenges facing these initiatives.”
For his part, journalist and political activist Waleed al-Jabzi says, “Yemeni women today live in a situation no different from that of men, in terms of bearing responsibility, facing the hardships of life, and being subjected to kidnapping and disappearance in prisons in a country that has been witnessing war for nearly a decade.”
Al-Jabzi added to Yemen Monitor, “What Yemeni women suffer in Houthi militia areas is very different from what they live and suffer in liberated areas. There are repeated attacks that Yemeni women are subjected to in Houthi militia areas, most notably direct beatings by Houthi supervisors. There are many videos circulating on social media that have documented many cases of attacks on women by the Houthis.”
He added, “The Houthis have made Yemeni women a means to achieve their goals. They have used many of them in espionage operations, raiding houses, and recruiting and kidnapping women and girls to humiliate their families, in addition to imposing restrictions on ordinary women and inciting against them by all means.”
He continued, “On the other hand, the Houthi militia has used women officially in areas under its control to implement its own agenda and has worked to recruit them under the name of Zainabiyat, who participate with the militia in raiding houses and violating sanctities in those areas.”
He continued, “The Houthi militia has also worked to recruit women to entrap activists, journalists, and senior officials in a despicable manner that reveals the extent to which this militia despises the rights of Yemeni women and uses them to implement its own agenda, violating the customs and traditions of Yemeni society.”
