Houthis Ban Women from Moving, Working – Details
Yemeni journalist Chahad Al Jnavadi revealed that the Houthi terrorist militia began enforcing previous decisions that ban the movement of women without male guardians.
Speaking on her Facebook page, Al Jnavadi said that she was shocked by the Houthi decision to restrict women’s movement without a male chaperone. She and her mother went to the “Women and Children’s Affairs” office in the Houthi-controlled capital Sana’a to obtain a permit for field work, but were surprised that Houthi militias were asking for her father or brother’s presence.
Chahad Al Jnavadi is one of millions of Yemeni women who in areas controlled by Houthi militias have become hostages in their homes after being prevented from traveling and field work.
The Yemeni human rights organization, Mayyun, said in a statement published on Yemen News that it obtained official documents confirming that Houthi militias had circulated to their security services, preventing the movement of women and their departure to any other areas except with the presence of Mahram, or obtaining high security approval for their movement.
The organization condemned the introduction of new oppressive mechanisms against women by Houthi militias, noting that “forcing Yemeni women to have a man (mahram) or issuing preliminary approval memoranda from the security authorities to be able to move around is a flagrant violation of human rights and women and the values and customs of Yemeni society.”
“Mayyun shares concerns with human rights organizations and activists about the gravity of these decisions and the Houthi violations against women and their rights”, the statement added.
The statement called on the international community to condemn this repressive mechanism being implemented by the security agencies of Houthi militias and to prevent its continuation.
The Iranian-backed Houthi militias have imposed a new repressive mechanism in Sana’a and the rest of its areas of control, violating Yemeni women’s right to movement and retaining guardianship over women as unfit to control their lives.
Earlier this month, Houthi militias imposed an order requiring restaurants in Sanaa to take their “marriage contract” documents from families when they go to restaurants. The decision is aimed at preventing women from going to restaurants without a male guardian.
The Houthis are trying to reduce public space for Yemeni women, in the manner of the terrorist group ISIS, by banning women from traveling without a mahram (male relative), preventing them from receiving medical services at the hands of doctors, and by paving the way for a ban on women’s education.
This comes after Houthi militias last October directed photography shops to ban female photographers unless the required face-to-face photograph is available only when necessary, and to ban the presence of any workers or technicians in women’s photography shops, so that the workers are only women.
Houthi restrictions have previously targeted female students at private universities and specialized institutes, with one-room bans on male and female students, segregated by gender, and two study periods; Mornings for students and evenings for students.
