RANIA ABDULLAH

Yemen- Many women do not know anything about their legal rights such as alimony, custody and marriage. In Yemen, women cannot bring the problems faced by them to trial due to social pressure and long-lasting trials.

Yemeni lawyer Gaza Muhammad Al-Sami has launched a voluntary initiative so that women know their legal rights. The aim of the initiative is to raise awareness among women about their legal rights.

40-year-old Fatima Qaed wanted to ask a divorce; however, she did not file a divorce case because of long-lasting divorce trials in the country. “My husband knew that I did not know anything about my legal rights so he told me he would take care of the children if I filed a divorce case. I did not know anything about the laws and started thinking about how I would take care of my children if I filed a divorce case. I gave up all my rights, including my right to custody, to get a divorce.”

Fatima Qaed is only one of the Yemeni women, who do not know anything about their legal rights. Recently, she has participated in seminars on women’s rights in order to know her legal rights and help other women, who do not know their rights.

She gives information to women about their rights

Yemeni lawyer Gazze Muhammad Al-Sami thinks there is still a long way to go for raising awareness among Yemeni women about their legal rights. “The beginning of rain is a drop and the beginning of success is an idea,” she said, “As a lawyer, I noticed that many women did not know anything about their legal rights and that they suffered due to their ignorance of the law. They did not know anything about their rights in marriage and after divorce such as alimony and custody. I decided to take an initiative to raise awareness among women about their legal rights. I have published legal texts on my social media account to tell women about their rights.”

Women lawyers held several seminars to discuss on discriminatory laws in Yemen. “Some articles distinguish between women and men. These articles must be amended. Some educated people in society accuse me of encouraging women divorce. But my aim is to raise awareness among women about their legal rights,” she told us.

Gazze Muhammad Al-Sami highlighted that a large part of the society does not want women to have their rights and know their rights. “Our society is a patriarchal society trying to exert control over women. Traditions and customs are imposed on women. I hope that all women in Yemen will learn their constitutional and legal rights.”

Journalist Manal Sharaf believes that when women learn their legal rights, they will enjoy their rights. “Male violence is nothing more than an attempt to take away women's dignity. Since men are the breadwinners of their families, they do not want women to learn their rights so that they can confine women to home. Women should participate in the labor force to be independent.”

Speaking about the initiative launched by Gazze Muhammad Al-Sami, Manal Sharaf said, “Her initiative is a very positive step. She is a lawyer and knows everything about the legal rights of women. She helps women by giving them information about their rights.”

Gazze Muhammad Al-Sami wants her initiative to be a real project that provides legal support to women.