Statement by Intisaf Organization on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, November 25

On Nov 26, 2024

Tuesday, 26 .November .2024.

#International_Day_for_the_Elimination_of_Violence_against_Women

On November 25 of each year, the world celebrates the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is a 16-day initiative of activism that concludes on the day that marks International Human Rights Day (December 10). This campaign aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world, and calls for global action to raise awareness and promote advocacy for that goal and to provide opportunities to discuss challenges and solutions. However, in Yemen, the situation is different, as it seems that the United Nations does not see or hear about the thousands of female victims who were killed and wounded during the Saudi-American aggression on Yemen nearly 10 years ago, and also turns a blind eye to the thousands of women who fell as a result of the Zionist occupation’s aggression on Gaza.

Entesaf Organization reported that the number of women victims of the US-Saudi aggression reached five thousand and 489 dead and wounded in about nine years. The organization explained in a statistic issued that the number of women killed reached two thousand and 493 dead, and three thousand and 59 wounded until November 25. It pointed to the catastrophic and tragic conditions experienced by Yemeni women as a result of the aggression and siege, as the rates of gender-based violence among children and women increased by 63% compared to before the aggression.

According to the statistics, the crimes and violations committed by the aggression forces in the West Coast region amounted to more than 800 crimes, including kidnapping and rape of women and children. She also explained that the aggression and siege have deprived women of their right to obtain health services, as hospitals and centers have been targeted, diseases and epidemics have spread, and malnutrition rates have increased, especially among pregnant and lactating women, in addition to an increase in the rate of miscarriage and fetal deformity as a result of the use of internationally prohibited weapons, as more than 1.5 million pregnant and lactating women suffer from malnutrition, including 650,495 women suffering from moderate malnutrition, while a woman and six newborns die every two hours due to complications during pregnancy or childbirth, and the number of women who could lose their lives during pregnancy or childbirth is estimated at approximately 17,000 women.

The organization indicated the exacerbation of the suffering of mothers and pregnant women, as more than 50 percent of births are performed by non-specialists, and about 8.1 million women and girls of childbearing age need assistance to access reproductive health services, including 1.3 million women who will give birth this year, and it is expected that 195,000 of them will suffer complications that require medical assistance to save their lives and the lives of their newborns, and nearly 70% of obstetric medications are not available in Yemen due to the blockade and the aggression coalition preventing their entry into Yemen.

The organization explained that Yemeni women have been living and facing many difficulties for nearly 10 years, as they do not have the simplest means of a decent life and protection, as 12.5 million women need life-saving services in reproductive health and protection.

Entesaf reported that Yemeni women have been targeted for nearly 10 years, whether directly or indirectly, as they face many risks due to displacement. The number of displaced persons has reached more than 5 million, 159 thousand, and 560 displaced persons, 75% of whom are women, children, and the elderly, which increases their chances of being exposed to violence, as displaced women and girls suffer the most from the lack of privacy, threats to their safety, and lack of access to basic services, which makes them more vulnerable and exposed to abuse and violence.

The news indicated that one in three displaced families is headed by women, and the girls who support 21 percent of these families are under the age of 18, and more than 3.2 million displaced women are in need of health care and protection services.

Regarding education, women were deprived of this right as a result of the aggression targeting educational facilities, the economic blockade, and the non-payment of salaries, which led to the inability of some families to provide basic educational needs such as breakfast. 31% of Yemeni girls are now out of school, and the illiteracy rate among women has increased to 60% in some governorates in Yemen, such as Al-Hodeidah, where the number of illiterate men and women has reached more than 1.2 million, 62% of whom are females. 53 literacy and adult education centers and 19 basic and women’s training centers were damaged, which led to the damage of more than 3,168 people, 84% of whom are women.

The news reported that the continuation of the aggression and the air, land and sea blockade for nearly 10 years, and the direct and systematic targeting of the Yemeni people have led to the displacement of thousands of families, the deterioration of economic conditions and the increase in the poverty rate, which has contributed to the increase in the suffering of Yemeni women as a result of the deterioration of living conditions.

The organization held the aggression coalition led by America and Saudi Arabia responsible for all crimes and violations against civilians, especially women and children, for nearly ten years, calling on the international community, UN organizations, human rights and humanitarian bodies to bear legal and humanitarian responsibility for the violations and horrific massacres that are taking place against civilians.

It called on the free people of the world to take effective and positive action to stop the aggression and protect civilians, and to form an independent international committee to investigate all crimes committed against the Yemeni people, and to hold accountable anyone proven to be involved in them.