Women in Development and Peace – Ahmed Bajoaim
Violence against women in Yemen has been one of the biggest challenges facing women for quite some time now, especially after the armed conflict that started nine years ago. The violence has been gradually increasing, with women facing different forms of physical, psychological, and sexual violence on a daily basis. A report by the Turkish official news agency “Anadolu” in 2018 highlighted that gender-based violence in Yemen has unprecedentedly escalated since the conflict erupted. The number of women at risk of violence reached around three million by the end of 2017, accounting for 36% of the total number of women in Yemen.
The increasing and alarming numbers have put the efforts of official authorities in the country in a difficult position, as the problem worsens and loses its significance in society due to the repercussions of the conflict. This has reduced the possible solutions that could help reduce or eliminate violence against women. However, various feminist, human rights organizations and security sectors are working to support and assist women affected by violence, enhance their rights, and establish social justice.
The Role of the Official Authorities
Muna Gharama, the Assistant Director of the Family Protection, Events, and Women’s Police Department in the Security Administration of the Hadhramaut Coast, emphasized the important role of the Women’s Police in combating violence against women. They provide necessary support to women facing violence, sexual assaults, harassment, and other forms of violence, as well as offer security services to protect women and children, including investigating crimes committed against them and providing assistance to the victims.
Gharama pointed out the importance of the Women’s Police in reducing the occurrence of violence against women by raising cases and issues to the relevant authorities in courts and prosecution offices and working on raising awareness and educating about women’s rights and issues related to violence against them. The Women’s Police, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations and other institutions, work to support and assist women facing violence and provide protection and rehabilitation for them. Additionally, the Family Protection and Events Department works to combat violence against women and reduce its spread in society.
The head of the National Women’s Committee in Shabwa Governorate, Hayam Al-Qarmushi, said: “The National Committee, whether in Shabwa or other Yemeni governorates, is primarily concerned with defending women’s rights by ensuring the implementation of policies, legislation, decisions, or executive plans that are in favor of women in all state institutions. Protecting women from discrimination or all forms of violence is one of the most important plans and programs; as violence is not alien to our societies, but it should not be a prevalent phenomenon, rather its diversity is a concerning and escalating issue. If efforts are combined from various public and private sectors, it can fade away.”
She added: “The role adopted by the committee in the governorate lies in participating in raising awareness and prevention of violence, coordinating with all security and service state institutions, proposing plans that help eliminate forms of violence against women and girls, including child marriage. The committee takes several paths to raise societal awareness by implementing educational activities and programs to reduce social and domestic violence, implementing legal protection measures and supporting women’s empowerment, as well as conducting studies and research related to violence issues to understand its causes, effects, and analyze the data.”
Al-Qarmushi explained that among the measures taken are: preparing programs and policies aimed at reducing violence against women, addressing responsible authorities and sectors, and implementing training programs in partnership with international organizations and public and private sectors on how to deal with cases of violence committed against women. Additionally, raising societal awareness about the dangers and negative effects of violence, both at the individual and societal levels, is prioritized.
On her part, the head of the National Women’s Committee branch in Wadi Hadhramaut, Najat Al-Habshi, stated that the National Committee in all governorates is working, by all means, to protect women by applying legislation and laws related to women’s rights to eliminate violence. They contribute to enhancing women’s empowerment to combat violence and eliminate discrimination against women, working on raising awareness campaigns to confront stereotypical patterns and violence, such as participating in the 16 Days of Activism campaign, which is one of the activities against violence practiced against women. Additionally, they defend victims of gender-based violence in courts and prosecution.
Statistics & Figures
In a report mentioned by Anadolu Agency titled “Malnutrition, Early Marriage, and Violence: Yemeni Women Pay the Price of Conflict,” in March 2018, it was stated that since the outbreak of armed conflict until early 2018, there were around 11,000 cases of rape and other unreported cases of violence against women and girls. Additionally, there was an increase in the rate of child marriage in the first three years of the conflict, which is considered a form of violence against girls in Yemen, with child marriage reaching about 66% for those under 18 years old.
A UN study, according to the Turkish agency, showed that early marriage for girls has reached dangerous levels. 72.5% of girls, out of the total number of women included in the study, were married before reaching the internationally recognized legal age of 18. Among them, 44.5% were married at the age of 15. This phenomenon is concentrated in three governorates: Al-Hodeidah, Hajjah, and Ibb. These governorates are among those hosting the most displaced people. According to the report, this type of violence against women and girls is becoming more prevalent, to say the least.
Challenges
Assistant Muna Gharama highlighted the multiple challenges and difficulties facing security agencies in defending women from violence committed against them. These challenges include the lack of complete protection of women’s rights as human rights, non-implementation of laws and policies that work to combat violence against women, lack of comparative data on various forms of gender-based violence, the absence of a budget or specialized and trained female staff for the women’s police, and the need for special facilities for housing and psychological treatment for abused women.
Gharama emphasized the importance of accelerating the activation of the Women’s Events House, which helps improve the mental well-being of violence victims. This poses another challenge that hinders the efforts of the women’s police in this regard, in addition to the scarcity of resources. It also requires a unified center to receive cases of violence against women and children, especially since these requirements are not necessarily available in government institutions, but also in the private sector and organizations concerned with women and children.
On her part, Hayam Al-Qarmushi pointed out that the shortage of available resources and capabilities plays a significant role in hindering tasks and diminishing the role of the National Committee, which has become minimal based on what is present and available, the lack of awareness among official and private entities about the role of the National Women’s Committee, all of which have affected coordination operations and actual participation, as well as the programs and plans and their success in the desired and expected manner. The weakness of policies at the state level itself, due to the current situation in Yemen in general, has reflected on the role of the National Committee and reduced its tasks in reality.
She added: “The limited societal awareness of social gender concepts, citizenship culture, equality, and human rights, all of this has affected society; this is due to acquired social culture, and this is one of the challenges that have negatively affected the desired role, whether for the National Women’s Committee or any entity concerned with or supporting women’s rights. The limited awareness has also weakened the exerted efforts and their effectiveness in achieving their desired results, and at times has rendered them powerless in the face of many cases of violence committed against women.”
In the same context, Al-Habshi said: “The most prominent challenges facing official entities in defending women from violence lie in the weakness of defending abused women and the discrimination between genders, the absence of family care services and the unequal standards between societal classes, including class and racial discrimination that official entities – including the National Women’s Committee – find difficult to eliminate in the near term. Additionally, gender inequality and the violence based on it persist, confirming the necessity of providing sufficient support and implementing large programs and plans supported by stricter decisions and laws to address it.
Suggestions
To discuss the proposals to raise the level of the official role in confronting violence against women, to enable it to carry out its desired role, Assistant Muna Gharama emphasizes the importance of providing the necessary support to official entities, including the police and security, within the framework of providing solutions to issues related to Yemeni women, improving the common connection between all public and private sectors concerned with women’s rights, and contributing to the existence of free psychological support centers for women affected by violence; these centers must also be managed by the women’s police, so that they can carry out their integrated role.
Al-Qarmushi also pointed out the importance of the state or donor entities allocating a budget for national women’s committees in all governorates, to enable them to implement programs and activities effectively. This includes forming joint committees between the National Women’s Committee and other relevant entities, as well as implementing partnerships between the National Committee and supporting organizations. Moreover, implementing training programs for workers in various public and private sectors in the fields of women’s rights, such as the legislation and laws established in favor of women, and the positive effects that accrue to society, is emphasized.
In the same context, Najat Al-Habshi mentioned several recommendations, the most important of which are: supporting stakeholders in mainstreaming gender equality and women’s rights, eliminating forms of discrimination, building relevant institutions in the governorates, and adopting general policies, plans, and budgets that take into account the perspective of gender equality, women’s participation in decision-making, focusing on family awareness, especially for those about to get married, establishing specialized family counseling centers and enhancing religious awareness, working to instill a culture of family dialogue among all segments of society, and activating the role of community committees in helping to resolve family disputes.
In light of the current situation in Yemen, as a result of the conflict since 2015, the official role must work to fill the large gap to implement the law and regulatory bodies. It is imperative to work towards mitigating gender-based violence. Additionally, it requires international organizations concerned with women’s rights to support official entities in Yemen to achieve social justice and eliminate gender discrimination.