Violence Against Women in Yemen [Archives:2000/05/Last Page]

Jalal Al-Shara’abi
Yemen Times
The violence phenomenon against women is a clear transgression for human rights and freedoms. Daily actions and dealings with women are blemished by many unjust acts which make women victims of different kinds of violence. Violence is an old social phenomenon which all societies suffer from regardless of its social, economic and educational effects. However, in Yemen, this phenomenon has taken new forms, some of which are physical, psychological and sexual.
What is meant by the term violence against women, as stated in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights ”to terminate violence against women”, is any act of violence based on sex which will or may lead to sexual or psychological harm or physical pain for women. It also includes threatening of doing such acts, coercion and despotic deprivation of freedom whether in private or public life.
Our religion has encouraged respect and entire equality between men and women in rights and duties. These acts are represented in murder, rape, abduction, committing suicide or attempting any of these.
Official statistics for the years 96 & 97 show that there is an increase in the rate of violence crimes against women in Yemen. In 96, (66) women were intentionally killed and the number increased to 108 in 97. This number has also doubled in 98 and even exceeded that as pointed out by the statistics in 99.
There are also, 56 women who were raped in 96, and 40 others in 97 most of whom have not reached the age of 15. Statistics also reveal that house ladies are more vulnerable to violence acts and female kids are also subject to different kinds of violence crimes (abduction, murder & rape)
The reasons behind these violence crimes against women in Yemen are family problems, carelessness, or money aggregation. There are several ways in which these crimes are carried out against women like guns, white weapons and hands. In addition, women are subject to other sorts of violence through the implementation of discriminated laws and legislations which do not put social gender into consideration like nationality and personal status laws. For example, not accepting women in the High Institute for Judiciary. Moreover, when women become subject to assault from others, they face a doubled tragedy for, on the one hand, they are a victim of men’s crimes and , on the other hand, they do not get fair treatment from executive authorities especially when these crimes are committed by family members. Women are also prohibited from reporting these crimes and when the results of an assault are very big, usually one of the relatives would take the victim to the hospital where she can be treated. Doctors are not told the reasons behind these injuries and doctors themselves do not report these assaults and so cases become closed.
Women are also subject to violence in schools which make her fear education for she can not take the risk that come along with it.
Despotic divorce is also another form of violence against women. Some husbands divorce their wives when marrying another woman and thereby depriving them of their heirloom. Women in villages are suffering even more. A village woman said: “We wake up early and work all day and at the end we do not get our simplest rights. We turn into slaves in our works and even risk our lives and in the end all we find is brutal family treatment and deprivation of education and other rights.
Women in villages work all day suffering physical violence and tiredness with complete disregard of their physical formation and their rights as humans.
Some women are subject to despotic divorce often for no reason, only because the husband’s financial conditions have improved or because of problems between the two families.
A woman who has been a victim of despotic marriage said: “My father got me married when I was 14. I was still young then and I was not aware of what marriage was. I paid a high price for this marriage of my strength and youth during which I was subject to suffering and torture for two years. Then, I was dumped by my husband and now I got nothing because he has taken and sold all the gold and other things that I got. During our marriage I never refused anything he wanted from me and now my daughter and I are lost, so who is responsible for that?
In Sana’a University the Women Studies Center was closed by the presidency of the university saying that this center runs suspicious activities. A teacher said; “The closure of the center is a mere violence against us and all women in Yemen. The center does not exercise suspicious activities, it is merely a scientific and research center. However, violence against women is being exercised by government and there are certain authorities which stand behind these decisions under the cover of religion.”Is not the discard of more than 150 students of different specializations and studies the worst of violence levels.
In addition to that women in Yemen face violence even in accusation and punishment. They live inside half-broken cells which lack many life necessities where they become open for all kind so of diseases, violence and brutal punishment even if they are still at the accusation level.
Official reports, despite all fallacies they contain, revealed that there are more than 2000 women in the official prisons of the city of Sana’a only. Half of these were subject to violations and fierce beating and were forced to admit crimes they did not commit. There is also a great number who is subject to rape and physical assault by those who run these jails.
It is the government responsibility to put satisfactory and persuasive solutions to these violations through passing laws that recognize women rights. The government should also stop violence against women and keep good eye on women whether in villages or in prisons.
There are more than 15 non-governmental organizations to support women in Yemen and government organizations are even more. However, these mechanisms are nothing among the organized violence which is exercised against women who pay for a fault they have never made.
So these organizations should do something to protect women instead of living in the middle of political disputes. These organizations should perform their role and not just stand and represent certain parties.
Finally, when would the violence against women stop? And when would international conferences for women be effective in the middle of all this abuse and violence?

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