Child & woman’s rightsAs seen through Islamic-social perspective [Archives:2003/654/Reportage]
July 28 2003
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This was the main theme of the first training course on family and society human rights that was concluded last in Sana'a last Thursday and to be followed with two similar courses in the governorates of Taiz, on July 26-29 and in Aden on July 31 to August 4. The course is sponsored by the Holland-based International Institute for Islamic studies in Contemporary World in coordination with the Civil Society forum in Yemen.
Dr Abduh Annaeem, a coordinator at the International Institute for Islamic Studies in Contemporary World and a lecture at the course had given a brief account on the course, saying the important thing was not to set up a new program and working plans for a number of contemporary Islamic societies. And since it is not possible to do so concerning all issues and challenges facing Islamic societies nowadays, our present efforts are now concentrated on certain essential areas.
The main focus is on ensuring principles of human rights in the family especially those related to woman rights and concerning bringing u [children on these bases.
“The success of our initiatives in Yemen depends basically on the cooperative efforts made by human rights activists in Yemen as well as the Islamic communities in the region,” he remarked.
Mr. Jamal al-Ademi, the Civil Society Forum Chairman and the training course coordinator told Yemen Times:
“We will view the child and woman's rights at the family environment. Though this might be unrealistic, we will be concerned with looking for human rights inside the family, within the house, the child right granted by the parent and the society. Therefore we have chosen thirty trainees to work within their small societies and study how they could change the realities of woman and the child for the better,'' Mr Jamal said.
Mrs. Layla Azawaily said that human rights are of great importance; therefore we have been entrusted with this project. That is because human rights have taken a political dimension. Human rights have also been included in the Islamic legislation. An emphasis will be put regarding the dealing with aspect and on human rights and norms and traditions in this society. The International Institute for Islamic Studies in the Contemporary World is the only institute in Europe that focuses on Islamic studies, vital-Muslims-related issues looked through psychological perspectives and it has researchers and activists in many Islamic countries.
Fifteen active participants are to be selected during the 3 three training courses to be working in the field of family and society. We also want persons active in their society such as journalists, mosque preachers and activists in the society to act as liaisons from whom to know and learn from them about the mechanisms for entering human Rights in dealing with the woman and child issues.
Around 90 participants are to be trained in Yemen. This training includes representatives from different civil societies, organizations, journalists or those interested in woman and child's issues in their societies. About the extent of influence these would be able to create inside their families regarding human rights, the opinions are divided into optimist and pessimist teams. Optimists from among the participants say there would be positive results in case such activities and courses continued and there is a maintained effort of raising awareness about rights of the woman and child.
While those who showed pessimism said that if concentration on the woman and child's rights is based on the Islamic perspective, there would be no need to Western trainers or human rights agreements on woman-child human rights to be applied.
Some participants seemed to be hopeless and thought they as trainees would be useless and incapable of achieving positive results in this regard in a society where there are continuous violations of such rights committed by the state and the society. How could a change be effected in a society governed by complicated traditions different in each area that has its peculiarities in dealing with the woman and the child? They say they do not think they could make any effect in such an illiterate society that does not know exactly its rights and duties.
Facts & figures
The child-related latest statistics have said that children below 14 years represent 10.05 percent out of labor force in Yemen, i.e. 588.000 children out of 5.6 million workers are children. Children under the age of 14 amount to 9.454.000.
The 1994 census in Yemen indicates that there are 4.693.300 children ranging between 4 to 6 years of age work in Yemen's urban and rural areas, some of the jobs they do are hard and some very harmful to their health.
According to statistics issued by the Central Statistics Authority in 1999, the number of children in the labor market has reached 433.701. Out of this number, 51.7 percent males and 48.3 percent females. Most of those children are below the age of 14.
But the number of children percentage has been still on the rise. The Annual Report of the Women National Committee pointed out that 13 percent of children is the increase in population during 1999. Child labor in cities in 2002 is estimated at 40.000 children. According to a survey conducted by the UNICIF in 2000 the child labor in Yemen has greatly increased due to poverty that hits millions of Yemenis. Around 45 percent of Yemeni children ranging from 6 to 14 haven't got their basic education because they are engrossed in sustaining their families or work in agriculture, fishing and livestock breeding.
Those statistics on Yemeni children heartbreaking conditions make it difficult for us to talk about the woman and child rights. Those appalling statistics are clear testimony of the deteriorating conditions, poverty, ignorance, illiteracy spread among the Yemeni society.
One can conclude that the phenomenon of children remains a serious and devastating problem that is causing outrageous consequences on Yemen's own future. But what is even more serious is the fact that the phenomenon has been still on the rise. But there has been no solid move to start a rehabilitation center or make field surveys to investigate why this is happening.
What is needed is to start practical solutions in order to save the coming generation from uncertain future.
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[archive-e:654-v:13-y:2003-d:2003-07-28-p:report]
