Six years of war, which has left the country on the brink of famine, has "greatly increased" violence against women in Yemen.
We won't be living in a world free of GBV anytime soon, but what we can do is empower women to manifest better, dream bigger, and protect themselves.
Married at 12, rejected at 16, then disfigured in an acid attack, the fate of Al-Anoud Hussain Sheryan is a shocking illustration of abuse in a society beset by war and poverty. She wanted to protect me. Having lived for four years as a “slave,” Al-Anoud was eventually expelled by her husband, taken in by her sister, and began training as a nurse. But her ex-husband decided he wanted her back, and when she refused, he took revenge.
Al-Anoud is now waiting to undergo the three plastic surgeries needed to repair some of the damage.
Child marriage is a hallmark of Yemeni society, but six years of war, which left the country on the brink of famine, has made violence against women more common and “dramatically increased,” said Tayseer Walid of the ‘Union of Yemeni Women in Sana’a.
Families are forced to get rid of the expenses of children, especially girls, due to the poor financial situation.
UNICEF estimated that in 2020 Yemen had some four million married children, including 1.4 million under the age of 15.
