Yasmine Abdulhafeez – Women in Development and Peace
The problem of displacement in Yemen is one of the biggest challenges facing the country’s official sector. The ongoing armed conflict in some areas of Yemen has forced many employees, both women and men, to leave their homes and jobs in search of safe havens where they can have a decent life. This has harmed government institutions, which have lost many of their human resources, leading to a marked decline in their performance and service delivery. It has also impacted social and economic balance in society.
Nabila Abdullah, a worker at a private medical center in the city of Hodeidah, explains that through her work, she has found many female employees of government agencies seeking jobs in the private sector. Most of them are displaced from areas that have witnessed ongoing conflict that has led to the displacement of many citizens who have left their homes and jobs. This, in addition to the repercussions of the conflict that have led to the interruption of their salaries in some areas.
In this context, Nabila decided to visit her friend Maryam Uthman (a pseudonym) at a government institution, only to be surprised that she had been displaced and left her job. Some colleagues told her that she had left the city and settled in another governorate, after waiting for her situation to improve and for her salary to continue, which might have encouraged her to stay and endure the suffering of the conflict’s repercussions and the intense heat that prevails in the coastal city of Hodeidah most months of the year, especially with the power cuts and the inability to use alternative devices.
Nabila says: “Maryam was one of the best employees in her institution. All her colleagues benefited from her, even those who moved to other departments. When it became clear that she had left the institution where she worked, we realized the magnitude of the loss that befell that government institution as a result of the displacement of many of its competent employees, especially women.”
She adds, “Many female employees in the government sector in Yemen are suffering the hardships of displacement after their salaries were stopped or their departments were closed as a result of the destruction that affected many of them, forcing them to seek new sources of income in areas far from their homes. These female employees also face great difficulties in finding jobs that match their specializations, forcing them to work in other fields that may be unrelated to their experience, to provide a decent living for themselves and their families.”
The Situation of Female Teachers in the Education Sector
With the conflict in Yemen intensifying for more than nine years, many Yemeni governorates have witnessed large-scale displacement waves. UN reports indicate that over 4 million people, mostly women and children, have been displaced to various safe Yemeni governorates. The displacement of women working in government sectors has had a significant impact on the institutions they worked for, affecting their ability to provide satisfactory services to citizens and resulting in the loss of many skills and expertise possessed by female employees.
The conflict has also damaged many vital areas in the country, including education, health, business, agriculture, and more. This damage has created double the suffering for the Yemeni citizens.
Community activist Salam Amin (pseudonym) says, “The education sector is one of the most affected government sectors by the displacement of female employees in Yemen, especially with the displacement of many female teachers and faculty members from their work areas to safe areas.”
He adds, “The displacement of Yemeni female teachers from schools poses a disaster that threatens the future of an entire generation of students. Displacement also creates a significant void in educational institutions, both administratively and in the field. This has made filling the gap in these places and positions extremely difficult, especially since displaced female teachers were highly competent and had extensive experience in the education field.”
Meanwhile, Islamic studies teacher Abeer (pseudonym), a 44-year-old from Taiz Governorate, says, “Many female teachers in areas that have witnessed armed battles have left for safer areas. Some of them have chosen to relocate to the villages they come from.”
She adds, “After the displacement of female teachers in many cities, schools have been complaining about a lack of teaching staff. The principals of these schools had no choice but to look for alternatives and recruit girls to work as teachers in schools. Most of them are recent graduates and lack sufficient experience, while others are high school graduates.”
She continues, “Many of those recruited to teach in place of displaced female teachers found work in government schools in exchange for financial amounts provided by some international organizations, offering them an opportunity instead of staying unemployed, especially with the scarcity of jobs in the labor market.”
She continues her conversation, “Some of these girls don’t have sufficient experience in the field of teaching, which has affected the educational process in general in many schools in different Yemeni cities. Here, the student is the only one who suffers because they don’t receive a high-quality education.”
She believes that stopping conflicts, improving the educational infrastructure that has been damaged as a result of the conflict, working to return teachers to their jobs in schools, and paying them their salaries and all their rights are the best solutions to building a generation armed with knowledge and capable of building a better future for its homeland, and to ensure that teachers stay in their schools.
The Health and Media Sectors
The health and media sectors are also significantly affected by the displacement of female workers in the public sector. The conflict has led many female doctors to leave government hospitals and health facilities in conflict zones. Some have moved to other governorates, some have left the country entirely in search of stability, and some have chosen to stay in their institutions despite the poor conditions, salary cuts, and deteriorating living standards.
Citizens in areas affected by the displacement of female healthcare workers in government facilities are left with three options: go to private hospitals and bear the exorbitant treatment costs, travel to doctors who have relocated their practice to other areas, endure the hardship of the journey and travel costs, or visit unqualified doctors who have been nurses and opened small private clinics, lacking sufficient experience.
Salam Amin believes that the health sector is second only to education in terms of the impact of the displacement of female workers in this field. The health sector is a vital area in society and has been negatively impacted by the conflict, affecting its ability to provide healthcare services. The sector in Yemen has faced a real humanitarian disaster with the displacement of many female workers, whether doctors, nurses, pharmacists, or technicians, who have left their workplaces and moved to other areas. This has led to a significant shortage of healthcare professionals and an inability to fill the resulting gap.
The media sector is also among those affected by the conflict and the forced displacement of female workers in various parts of the country, especially as their lives have been threatened and restricted, forcing them to leave their workplaces and seek safety in other areas. This has rendered them unable to cover any media work or practice journalism freely and impartially, prompting them to move to areas with greater security and freedom.
Abeer Al-Khadhaf, editor-in-chief of Abeer Press, says, “The conflict in Yemen has led to the displacement of women working in the public sector in general, particularly with the deteriorating economic and security conditions in the country and the suspension of salaries for female employees in government institutions. This has driven most women to move to other areas in search of livelihood.”
She believes that the security situation in many Yemeni governorates has restricted women’s freedom of movement to complete their education, pursue their work, access healthcare, or express their opinions. This has contributed to the displacement of many female workers in the public sector to other cities and areas, and sometimes to other countries, in search of safety and freedom.
She continues in her interview with Women in Development and Peace newspaper, “Women in Yemen are among those most affected by the conflict, which began in 2015. Women’s movement has been severely reduced, particularly among female employees in the public sector, as they have become the primary breadwinners for a third of Yemeni families displaced from their homes.”
She stressed the importance of addressing the situation of displaced Yemeni women, particularly female employees in the public sector. It is crucial to pay their salaries, include them in health insurance, work on a system of promotion in positions based on competence and experience, and provide a safe environment for them.
The General Situation of Displaced Women in Yemen
Ali Al-Shamiri, director of an executive unit for the displaced in Taiz, says, “Displaced women in camps are generally living in difficult conditions. They lack basic necessities like healthcare, shelter, and food, facing hardship in all aspects of their lives. Workshops and training programs designed to improve livelihoods are rare and only a limited number of women are selected for them. This means they don’t have opportunities to learn skills and find work.”
He continues, “Displaced women in general need financial support and skills training. With limited job opportunities in host communities, it’s difficult to integrate them into government institutions.”
Muhammad Radman Ghanim, the general coordinator for displaced people in camps in Al-Ma’afir district of Taiz, says, “In terms of the role played by government agencies for women in host communities, they, in cooperation with humanitarian partners, have absorbed some graduates for work in the field of teaching.”
He adds, “In coordination with partners, some women have been targeted in various fields such as health awareness, conducting workshops, and training in sewing, embroidery, and other professions.”
He emphasizes the need for government agencies or humanitarian organizations to expand the scope of targeting in various humanitarian fields, including teaching, health awareness, rehabilitation, and training in sewing, embroidery, handicrafts, incense making, sweets production, and more, to help women support themselves and their children.