Three-year project helps Yemen’s battered women

SANA’A // When Katibah Awdhah asked her uncle for the rights to her father’s land and property because he was mentally ill, he locked her up in a small room under his home in Yemen’s mountainous district of Manakha.

For the past three years, Katibah’s mother, Nimah, has campaigned for her daughter’s release, appealing to village chiefs as well as officials in the capital, Sana’a, but to little avail.

“I have approached all social dignitaries of the village and appealed to them to interfere to get my daughter set free. No one listened to me as I am poor and helpless.

“Her uncle claims my daughter suffers from epilepsy and it would be shameful for the family to go out. If she is sick, she needs medication,” Nimah said.

The case of Katibah is just one example of an alarming trend of violence against women in Yemen, according to a non-governmental agency that has taken up her case.

The Sisters Arab Forum (SAF), a Yemeni NGO, has launched a three-year project to provide legal protection for women and child victims of violence. The project is funded by the Netherlands.

“This three-year programme is the first project of its kind in the sense it covers the whole of Yemen and offers psychological and legal support to victims of violence. It aims to provide better protection for women and children exposed to violence and sexual abuse,” said Majed al Madhaji, a SAF spokesman.

The US$700,000 (Dh2.6 million) project started in March and includes training, among others, prosecutors, police and social workers and mosque leaders as well as a review of current laws.

There will be 20 Yemeni lawyers to provide legal support to victims of violence. At a later stage, there will be a shelter to accommodate 15 women and their children.

Mr al Madhaji said another aim is to create a database of violent incidents during the first year that will enable them to assess the magnitude of violence against women and children. A 24-hour hotline set up to receive complaints from women and children has already taken dozens of calls and recorded 30 cases of alleged abuse.

“I am really amazed by the large number of women calling to complain about violence; most of the callers complain about domestic violence, including sexual harassment and beatings,” said Jamilah al Masnaee, a SAF programme officer.

“I am sure that many women tolerate this violence and do not report it due to the culture of shame,” Ms al Masnaee said.

The interior ministry reported 2,694 incidents of violence against women in 2007 – the most recent figures available – in which 130 women died (88 of them were premeditated murders while 24 were accidental) and 790 injuries.

According to a report on the status of women in 2007, there were 33 reported cases of rape, including 18 against underage girls.

The report, released in May 2008 by the governmental Women’s National Committee, also said a 2003 health survey found that five per cent of married women suffered domestic violence, most of which was beatings from their husbands, and 21.5 per cent of these happened apparently without any reason.

The report said about 54.3 per cent of cases of violence against women in 2007 occurred at home and were rarely reported to the police.

The report cited illiteracy, poverty and lack of respect for the law as primary elements behind the violence.

“There are different reasons; it is a combination of cultural and religious discourse that underestimates women. Some laws contain partial discrimination against women. The marginal position of women in power makes their voice faint,” said Rashidah al Hamdani, the chairwoman of the Women’s National Committee.

She pointed to a provision in the penal code that restricts sentencing a man who kills his wife or female relative after catching her in an adulterous situation to no more than a year in prison or a fine. There is no such provision for women who catch husbands having an affair.

“Such a provision is discriminatory and encourages domestic violence. We are still fighting against these legislations,” Mrs al Hamdani said.

The SAF programme tries to resolve conflict in the home first. However, in instances where the family refuses to co-operate, such as in Katibah’s case, SAF reports the incident to the interior ministry for prosecution.

“We have tried with Katibah’s uncle; we travelled to his remote area, but he refused to let us even see her. We had to inform the prosecution and we are still waiting for their response,” Ms al Masnaee said.

“The interior ministry responds positively when it comes to harassment of children, but for women, particularly if it is sexual abuse, they are a bit reluctant, maybe because of the mainstream belief that talking about such issues is a shame.”

Katibah’s mother, Nimah, said she has been allowed to see her daughter only once. “She was crying for help. This is all for land and property. This is haram.”

malqadhi@thenational.ae