A female Yemeni doctor examines an infant, Gender representation on corporate boards of directors, Science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Women's rights in the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen: 1967–1990). Other ways to share Human Rights Watch documented in September that Houthi authorities, Yemeni government and affiliated forces, and the UAE-backed STC were severely restricting the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid. ARUNA DEVI NARAIN, Committee Rapporteur, asked about the situation of the right to education for women and girls. [32] A proposed law setting a minimum age for marriage of 17 for women was opposed by conservative Yemenis, including women.[33]. In some countries, these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behavior, whereas in others, they are ignored and suppressed. Which mechanisms existed against discrimination against women in the workforce? A ministerial decree adopted in 2001 banned female genital mutilation in clinics and hospitals. Due to the tension and chaos of the crisis, combined with the deep-rooted gender inequality, conditions for women and girls in Yemen are deteriorating as the conflict drags on. In cooperation with various stakeholders, the Government had responded to calls for dialogue. Treaty bodies. Nationality could be given by Yemeni women to their foreign husbands. Share Related. A man is allowed to marry up to four wives as long as he has the financial means, however a woman is not even entitled to enter marriage under her own free will, as she needs the approval and agreement of a male guardian. All parties to the armed conflict in Yemen and have committed serious violations of the laws of war, many of which may amount to war crimes by responsible personnel. Efforts to tackle discrimination were hampered by the current inability to hold parliamentary sessions. Article 42 of the Crimes and Punishment Law No 12 (1994) amounts a woman's blood money (diya) as half of a man's, effectively devaluing the female's life to half as much as a man's. Yemen had laws based on international norms to protect the rights of children and women. As for the linkage of people with special needs with nationality, the delegation said attention would be directed toward the situation, and it was to be hoped there would be amendments soon. HIROKO AKIZUKI, Committee Member, asked what measures Yemen was taking to address the lack of representation of women in the government, in the parliament and in the judiciary, especially at decision-making levels. While suffrage was gained in 1967 and constitutional and legal protection was extended to women during the first years of Yemen unity between 1990–1994, they continue to struggle "in exercising their full political and civil rights". How would Yemen bring this situation into line with international standards? Could the delegation clarify whether women could go to work without the permission of their husbands? Share this via LinkedIn YEMEN: 'Women are completely absent from decision-making bodies ... Women in prison received all necessary services, including primary healthcare. Synonyms of rights of women | Thesaurus.com The conflict intensified in 2021 with 49 districts in Yemen directly affected by active front lines, up from 35 at the start of 2020.. The Civilian Impact Monitoring Project, a monitoring mechanism under the United Nations Protection Cluster for Yemen, reported that 2,087 civilians were killed in armed violence in 2020. The main task of the National Commission for Women was to implement a national strategy for women and include it in all national plans by the State. Men and women do not have the same rights for education in Yemen. As one Al Jazeera article points out, the awards serve as "an accolade for the entire Arab Spring" as well as a recognition of "women power in the advent of the Arab Spring". Across Yemen, arbitrary detention by parties to the conflict remains pervasive. Houthi authorities did not allow United Nations experts to secure the Safer Oil Tanker off the coast of Hodeida, leaving Yemen at risk of environmental disaster if the ship’s 1.1 million barrels of oil leak into the Red Sea. Were laws against it enforced in Yemen? [5] In 2003, it was estimated that only 30% of the Yemeni female population was literate. Women had been involved in decision-making, and family-planning services were provided. Millions of Yemenis continue to face the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with more than half the population facing acute levels of food insecurity. In addition, authorities continued to require woman to show guardianship permission and have their guardian present—a father, brother, husband, or son—to obtain or renew personal identity cards or passports, despite the law not requiring such conditions. More than 1.5 million of Yemen’s 4 million displaced people are children, and hundreds of thousands of children have become migrants or sought asylum abroad. HIROKO AKIZUKI, Committee Member, noted that State parties needed temporary special measures in areas where de facto or substantive equality between men and women was not achieved. In 2019, local media reported that Houthi authorities issued directives to local transportation bus companies requiring that women be escorted by a mahram when traveling between cities in Yemen. Article 268 punishes sex between women with up to three years in prison. Among birth rates in other age groups, women ages 40 to 44 years old saw the biggest percent increase from 2021; 12.5 babies were born per 1,000 women in this age group during 2022, in a 4% . Human Rights Watch in March documented Saudi military forces and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces’ grave abuses against civilians in al-Mahra governorate, in eastern  Yemen, including torture, forced disappearances and arbitrary detention. As for women’s participation in peace talks, did Yemen have any intention to introduce a quota system there to achieve women’s participation in peace negotiations, the political process, conflict resolution, national reconciliation and reconstruction efforts? Women received a smaller share of inheritance than men did; in practice, women in rural areas were often not given the inheritance due to them. [36] Human Rights Watch has documented that forced child marriage is a leading factor as to why girls drop out of school. In May, Human Rights Watch called for the protection of civilians in Marib as displaced people faced the double threat of renewed fighting and the uncontrolled spread of the virus. [19], The international community has recognized that violence against women is a violation of women's human rights, their bodily integrity, and their sexual and reproductive rights. Share this via Email Yemen faced a massive wave of displacement: internally displaced people numbered in the millions and over 10 million people in Yemen were in dire need of assistance. Shari’a law did allow for polygamy, but the law laid down many conditions, including that the new wife had to be aware that the man was already married. It quickly became apparent to the leadership of the revolutionary regime, particularly Abdul Fattah Ismail, that legislation alone would not be able to elevate the status of Yemen's women. World Report 2022: Yemen | Human Rights Watch In two weeks, Yemen will enter into the seventh year of a war that has pushed the country into inconceivable suffering and devastation. Houthi forces, the Yemeni government, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and various UAE and Saudi-backed Yemeni armed groups have arbitrarily arrested, detained, abducted, or forcibly disappeared people, including children, and tortured or otherwise ill-treated detainees. Women were at the heart of protests, demanding and protesting for a better political life. Health workers in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen said that they faced significant barriers to obtaining vaccines imposed by Houthi authorities, subjecting them to unnecessary risk, and further damaging the country’s healthcare system. How would the authorities address the relatively high levels of illiteracy among women and girls? Share this via WhatsApp Although the government of Yemen has made efforts that will improve the rights of women in Yemen (including the formation of a Women's Development Strategy and a Women Health Development Strategy),[4] many cultural and religious norms, along with poor enforcement of this legislation from the Yemeni government, have prevented Yemeni women from having equal rights to men. The war would end, but it was not over yet. Were there plans to restrict polygamy? [41] Economic issues are made worse in Yemen by "jobless growth in the face of a rising population". The UN Human Rights Office and the mechanisms we support work on a wide range of human rights topics. For women of color that number goes down to just one percent. The country’s first confirmed case of coronavirus was recorded on April 10, and by late September, the UN reported 2,034 confirmed cases and 588 deaths; however, the country’s limited testing capacity means that the true number of cases is unknown. "[5] Additionally, women are prohibited from testifying in cases of adultery, slander, theft or sodomy by Article 45 (21) of the 1992 Evidence Law.[5]. According to the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project, landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) have caused approximately 9,000 civilian casualties since the beginning of the conflict and 284 civilian casualties in 2020, including 55 children. The war has gravely affected all Yemenis - men, women and children. A New Year Added to the Age of Bloody Conflict: Press ... - ReliefWeb Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Saudi forces fired on the fleeing migrants, killing dozens more, while hundreds of survivors escaped to a mountainous border area until Saudi officials allowed hundreds to enter the country. Yet the Government believed in the importance of supporting women's rights in line with the Convention, and Yemen looked forward to hearing Committee Members' valuable contributions, and to a constructive dialogue that would result in . As of February 2021, only 0.3% of seats in parliament were held by women. Some rural production projects had been run in the past, but the war had interfered with their implementation. Millions of people cannot afford to meet their basic needs. Under Yemeni law, the father must ask for the daughter’s consent in cases of divorce and marriage. She observed that times of war and conflict could lead to a de-prioritisation of issues concerning women’s rights alongside an increased focus on peace and security issues. [45], Harbia Al Himiary, is a female engineer leading a UNESCO project intended to restore Yemen's culture and heritage, specifically the World Heritage Sites, in the midst of the Yemeni Civil War.[46]. In 2020, fighting in northern Yemen increased sharply when the Houthis seized new areas held by the internationally recognized Yemeni government and advanced toward Marib governorate, where thousands of Yemenis were internally displaced and faced dire humanitarian conditions and increased risk of Covid-19. Civilians across the country suffered from worsening economic conditions and lack of basic services. The UN Group of Experts reported numerous allegations of rape by STC-affiliated forces in recent years, including the rape of an internally displaced woman in Aden in April. Violence against women increased during the Covid-19 crisis, according to UN Women in Yemen. The UN Security Council continued to enforce the UN sanctions regime against just one party, the Houthis, despite numerous violations of the laws of war by the Saudi and UAE-led coalition.