Yemeni women:Still have longway to go [Archives:2003/665/Local News]

Fahmia Al-Fotih
Sanaa, 2 September- The Women National Committee (WNC) held a workshop on the study “Women's political participation between social and cultural obstacles and the contradictions of the democratic project” in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung at the committee's headquarters in Sanaa on Monday September 1.
Ms. Rasheeda al-Hamadni, Head of WNC, who chaired the sessions, talked about the struggle Yemeni women have gone through in history. She stressed in her speech on the importance of enhancing women's conditions and stop using gender issues as propaganda.
The study presented by Dr. Abdualqader al-Ban'a, gave a summary about the conducted study in which he said, “There are a few researchers who pay attention to women's issues and try to disclose the severe reality they live in. This study tries to reveal the credibility of the democratic political project and its ability to implement the concepts it has adopted to expand the freedom and citizenship rights of Yemeni women to be leveled with those of men. The study also attempts to disclose the readiness of the political spectrums to rebuild the democratic project, which empowers the status of women and gives their issues priority and eradicates all forms of discrimination against them.”
Mr. al-Ban'a concluded by saying that “the continuous efforts to underestimate women and their essential role in the society contribute negatively to the role of women, which constitute half of the society. This means that talents and great potentials in politics, society, and all other aspects of women are unexploited. With political will and democratic practice, we can push women's rights forward and break the traditional handcuffs that suppressed Yemeni women for so long.”
Attendants representing different establishments and sectors, along with intellectuals and people concerned attended the event. Some of the participants criticized the report while others praised it adding remarks that enriched the discussion.
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