In yet
another attack, the Iran-backed Houthi militia on Sunday kidnapped Yemeni model
and actress Entisar al-Hammadi near the capital city of Sana’a. Yemeni Feminist
Voice, a leading activists' group in the country, Entisar al-Hammadi was held
by Houthis due to her job in the fashion and cinema industry. As the actress's
whereabouts remain unknown, a number of rights groups and activists are
demanding her release.
Significantly,
this is not the first time Houthi rebels have disrespected women's freedom and
rights in Yemen. In recent years, Houthis have intensified their campaign of
violence against women in the crisis-hit country. Hundreds of girls and female
students have been abducted from schools and streets by Houthi rebels in
various parts of Yemen.
As per
reports, these girls and women are kidnapped due to various reasons including,
false reports made against them and extortion purposes. Eyewitnesses have
reported that girls and women are abducted from Yemeni regions by female
militia members of the Houthi group.
According to
a January 2019 Associated Press report, activists underlined that Houthi rebels
often torture female detainees and blackmail their families. In April 2020, AP
conducted an investigation in which it was found that hundreds of women were
abducted by the rebels and held in secret prisons.
“First they
came for opposition leaders, then protesters, now it’s any woman who speaks
against them," said Noura al-Jarwi, head of the Women for Peace in Yemen
Coalition, speaking to AP.
Female prisoners
are subjected to verbal abuse, physical torture, and sexual violence at the
hands of these rebels. Human rights bodies and activists have time and again
raised concerns over physical abuses and gender-based violence faced by Yemeni
women in Houthi-controlled areas in the country. Former female detainees have
indicated that the aim of Houthis is to humiliate them with allegations of
prostitution and rapes.
On January
28, 2021, the Houthi government issued a circular, restricting Yemeni women's
access to birth control methods by mandating the husband's prior consent for
the same. It also banned Yemeni women from working in restaurants, claiming
that it contradicts "the conservative Yemeni identity”.
International
human rights organisations have also accused Houthi militias of stepping up
their violent actions against women in Sana's among other areas under their
control. Last month, Sanaa-based NGO the Yemen Organisation for Combating Human
Trafficking (YOCHT) accused the Houthi rebels who hold the capital of abducting
women and girls to force their relatives to pay ransoms.
Unfortunately,
only a few people are able to come forward to speak about the difficulties they
face in Houthi-controlled areas. Relatives of various female abductees continue
to remain in silence over the fear of shame in society.
The
Netherlands-based Rights Radar Foundation is among many international human
rights institutions that have called for detailed investigation into the
kidnapping, physical abuse, and rape of women and girls in prison over the
several years of civil war in Yemen.
Meanwhile,
the Houthi rebels have continuously denied allegations of torture and sexual
abuse against women prisoners.
“If this is
found, we will tackle this problem,” said Radia Abdullah, one of the female
Houthi ministers, during an interview.
It is
important to note that Yemeni women live in fear in Houthi-controlled areas in
the country. They are being denied basic rights and freedoms amid rising
conflicts between warring groups.
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