The role and status of women in Yemen have long been complex, but until the Houthis took control of much of the country in 2014, women took ‘the rough with the smooth’. In recent years, it has just been ‘the rough’.
In Yemen, the traditional concept of ‘shame’ has historically oppressed women. Yet, at the same time, it has also granted them certain privileges under the guise of protection. These privileges were linked to male honour. They did not derive from a human rights perspective. But under the Houthis, women have lost everything—both their legitimate human rights as individuals and the privileges they once held.
During my time in Yemen, I noticed that police would not search cars with women inside. This would have been considered an outrageous act that would tarnish a man’s honour. It was an unwritten law. Likewise, women held senior government positions, including ministerial and parliamentary, and were largely exempt from political imprisonment, thus they enjoyed greater freedom to criticise political situations without fear of punishment.
This held true until recently. Indeed, the brief detention of a female political activist in 2011 sparked widespread outrage and contributed to the fall of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
No longer protected
Yet fast forward a few years, and the situation has dramatically worsened under the Houthis. Many women have now been imprisoned for political reasons. Women from less prominent families are accused of prostitution or drug use. Women from more prominent families are accused of spying for America and Israel.
The recent arrest of women from respected Hashemite families who were working with international organisations has been particularly shocking.
