Alia Mohammed – Women in Development and Peace
Political participation of women is an essential element of strong and sustainable democracies. The role of women in the political field is not limited to representation alone; rather, they play vital roles in shaping national policies and strategies and weaving the political life itself within the country.
In Yemen, women’s political participation has not been easy over the years, and it has only reached its current state after facing many difficult stages. Women encountered numerous security and social challenges, yet they managed to assert their role in political life.
Given the current situation in the country, many Yemeni women have significantly engaged in political and social life both inside and outside Yemen, in various forms and stages. The political participation of Yemeni women in the diaspora has become important for understanding the reality of Yemeni women and their future aspirations for the country’s internal situation. This is achieved through their contributions to representing Yemeni community issues and conveying their demands in the political arena and international forums in host countries.
This report aims to explore this experience, highlighting the most prominent political roles played by Yemeni women in the diaspora, and the key challenges and difficulties they faced.
Leadership Roles
Laila Al-Thawr, a political activist, believes that the political role of women is no less important than that of men; it is a complementary role. Therefore, society should stop treating it with rivalry and underestimating the political competence of women in an illogical manner.
She says, “Yemeni women undertake many leadership roles. Although there are attempts to distinguish the role women play domestically from the role they play abroad, these roles are inherently interconnected. Everyone works for the nation’s interests, serving the national cause that is based on justice and equality.”
She added, “Female leaderships in all political and civil components always demand peace and seek to reconcile viewpoints based on the vision of the citizen and his needs, unlike parties who seek their interests as the basis for any peace process. This is the reason for the ongoing division process. Instead of prioritizing national interests, there is a clear insistence by influential parties to exclude female leadership from any political role or participation in the peace process.”
She confirms in her discussion that Yemeni women have managed to hold several leadership positions in the political sphere previously and currently, despite ongoing waves of exclusion of their participation, whether inside or outside the homeland.
The Reality of the Political Situation for Women in Yemen
Yemeni women in their homeland face significant challenges regarding political participation and genuine representation. Despite legislation that ensures women’s participation in political life, practical reality differs greatly, and there are still many social and cultural barriers that limit their access to decision-making positions.
In an insightful look at the political participation of Yemeni women within the country, researcher Sumaya Ahmad Al-Husam, in her research paper “Economic and Political Empowerment of Women,” explained that Yemeni women have not fully achieved their rights in political participation locally, despite Yemen’s ratification of many international conventions and treaties related to civil and political rights that guarantee the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. The National Dialogue Conference also agreed to grant Yemeni women at least 30% in various country bodies, local councils, and different decision-making positions.
She added in her research paper that the political model in Yemen has its own circumstances, which are entirely different from other countries, and in which women have managed to occupy important political positions and have effectively contributed to decision-making at various stages.
In this context, Laila Al-Thawr confirms, “Since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, all parties have disagreed on all national humanitarian issues and others, yet they agreed on fighting any role or participation of women in the political field, excluding women from decision-making centers and participation in peace processes; we no longer see women holding ministerial positions, for example.”
She added that all positions held by women so far are secondary, with the highest being the appointment of approximately three ambassadors, while they have been excluded from real participation in state-building and setting strategies related to building the country and its institutions by all parties.
Political Experiences and Activities in the Diaspora
In recent years, Yemen has seen an increase in the number of Yemeni women migrating to different countries to escape conflicts and economic and social crises. Yemeni women in the diaspora have demonstrated their ability to contribute to political life and represent the interests of their communities. Migration environments have opened opportunities for many Yemeni women to take on leadership and prominent political roles, benefiting from the freedom of movement, expression, and participation that these environments provide compared to the situation inside Yemen. This has enabled them to enhance their political participation and make a tangible impact through their involvement in events, meetings, conferences, and international forums.
The experience of these women varied in diaspora environments; some successfully adapted and engaged in host societies, participating in political and protest movements against the difficult conditions in Yemen, while others faced multiple challenges on social, economic, and political levels.
On another note, the forms of political participation by Yemeni women in the diaspora varied, ranging from participation in political parties and organizations, running for political offices, and activism in civil and human rights organizations, to engaging in political activism and protests.
Rana Ghanim is a Yemeni politician and human rights activist. She is a member of the National Body for Monitoring the Implementation of National Dialogue Outputs, serves as the second deputy to the head of the country-building team at the National Dialogue Conference, and is also a member of the Women’s Solidarity Network. She is considered one of the Yemeni women whose political role has emerged outside Yemen, through representing the issues of her Yemeni community at local and international levels, and her participation in preparing several studies and research papers in the legal and political field in 2016.
Rana was a member of the advisory team for the government delegation in the Yemeni peace talks held in Kuwait. In 2018, she was the only woman in the delegation representing the government in peace talks during consultations in Geneva and Stockholm under the auspices of the UN Envoy’s office.
In a related context, Laila Al-Thawr affirmed that Yemeni women in the diaspora have played active roles and made continuous efforts to stop the conflict on all political fronts. She added, “Despite deliberate exclusion, women in the diaspora work tirelessly to convey the voice of all citizens to all international forums (whether civil or political) through meetings and conferences in various countries around the world. They also work on continuously analyzing the peace process, launching pure national initiatives, and campaigns to pressure parties towards peace and mutual concessions, by finding solutions to all issues and obstacles facing the peace process.”
Challenges and Difficulties
Laila points out that Yemeni women in the diaspora still face numerous challenges despite the gains they have achieved and the roles they have played in the political field. The most notable of these challenges are cultural, and social norms, attempts to discredit women’s work in politics, in addition to the political parties’ refusal to allow their participation in decision-making centers, and the belittling of the capabilities of female political and party leaders, with efforts to confine their roles to secondary positions under various pretexts and justifications; out of fear for their interests, and due to the presence of strong voices demanding national interests.
She adds, “The political and ideological division within the Yemeni community in the diaspora poses an obstacle to unifying the efforts and political demands of Yemeni women. On the other hand, the absence of explicit supportive laws that promote women’s political participation limits their opportunities to engage in the political field.”
Initiatives and Mechanisms to Enhance the Political Role of Women in Yemen
The successful experiences of Yemeni women’s political participation in the diaspora affirm the possibility of achieving tangible success for Yemeni women in the political field. Therefore, efforts must be intensified to provide societal and political support programs that contribute to enhancing women’s political role by creating a supportive environment and favorable conditions, enacting laws and policies that ensure gender equality in the political field and strengthening women’s participation. Additionally, funding and necessary support should be provided to establish training and qualification programs for political women to develop their leadership and political skills.