Restricting Yemeni Women Travel Freedom

 

Yemeni women suffer multiple social restrictions limiting their freedom due to a combination of social, cultural and legal factors. The ongoing war has compounded the existing restrictions violating the natural rights of women, mainly including limiting mobility and travel, as the vast majority of Yemeni women are unable to travel alone locally between governorates, let alone traveling abroad. 

It is also difficult for women to get tickets, and they are exposed to abuse, harassment and extortion during travel when passing through checkpoints, particularly women who travel without a male chaperon “a male relative locally called mahram”. In a big number of checkpoints, soldiers act on their own and do not follow certain procedures and rules. 

This paper concluded several recommendations, including the importance of issuing urgent instructions from relevant authorities to activate travel-related laws and legislations, especially those related to women, and exerting international pressure on all warring parties to abide by these laws. 

This paper also recommended ongoing organized advocacy campaigns to pressure the warring parties to keep women out of conflict and ensure their rights to travel and mobility.