RANIA ABDULLAH

Yemen- In February 2022, a group of Yemeni women activists took to the streets of Yemen’s Taiz city to launch the “My Passport Without Guardianship” campaign calling for equal rights to passports and the amendment of Yemen’s Law No.7 of 1990 concerning passports. However, the women activists have faced a defamation campaign in the country.

They have faced a defamation campaign

The women activists told NuJINHA that they feel happy because their campaign succeeded in achieving its goals but they have faced a defamation campaign in the country since they launched their campaign.

Olfat Aldobui, an academic, political and social activist, who works as a lecturer assistant in the Social Science Department at Taiz University, spoke to NuJINHA about the defamation campaign targeting the activists. “Those behind this campaign do not understand the stages of transformation that Yemeni women are going through, their participation in all spheres of life and their effective contribution to building peace. Personally, I was also subjected to accusations and threats through this defamation campaign. I have been accused of provoking girls to rise up against their families, women to speak out against their husbands and even destroying and disintegrating society,” Olfat Aldobui said that she will continue to struggle and launch campaigns for women’s rights despite all challenges faced by her.

“We will not allow”

Speaking about how the "My Passport Without Guardianship" campaign succeeded in obtaining directives from decision-makers to the Yemeni Department of Immigration, Passports, and Nationality to work on implementing the law and canceling any special requirements for women, Olfat Aldobui said, “We will not allow the past to be repeated and women's issues to be exploited by stakeholders, political rivals or religious parties to win votes. Today, Yemeni women have a document adopted in the Yemeni National Dialogue Conference agreed upon by all political parties, which the state has become obligated to implement. The document guarantees a 30% inclusion quota for women in all government positions, as well as delegations and committees.”

Threats and insults

Activist Alhan Al-Shaibani is another activist being subjected to the defamation and insult campaign that have affected the activists. She is also a member of the campaign group of the “My Passport Without Guardianship” campaign. “Actually, we faced a lot of criticism after launching the campaign. But we did not stop and tried to have a meeting with the presidency. A meeting was organized with the presidency and then the Minister of Legal Affairs and Human Rights worked to implement and activate the law in all passport departments and by all governorates of Yemen.”

Shafiqa Al-Wahsh, a member of the campaign group, said, “it is unfortunate and sad that the defamation campaign that affected many of those who participated in the ‘My Passport Without Guardianship’ campaign calling for the implementation of the deactivated law, which is a human right.”