Rania Abdullah

Yemen — For more than a decade, the ongoing conflict in Yemen has had a profound impact on women, exposing them to multiple forms of direct violence. Their rights have been reshaped within a patriarchal system that has deprived many of even their most basic achievements, while their active roles in society have been severely marginalized. As a result, women have become the primary victims of the ongoing war, facing serious violations affecting every aspect of their lives, from detention and torture to forced marriage and economic exploitation.

This report highlights the effects of political division and civil war on the lives of women in Yemen, official policies regarding their rights, the legal rights from which they are deprived, as well as the forms of resistance women display across different sectors and their ongoing struggle for survival.

Since the Houthi takeover of Sanaa in 2014, their security apparatus has not been limited to armed men or traditional forces; they also created a female unit known as the Zainabiyat. This unit was not merely a security formation but became a primary tool for enforcing repression against women and strengthening the security state, reflecting how women themselves can be mobilized to serve systems of oppression.

In the streets of Sanaa, women dressed in full black uniforms are often seen conducting inspections, raids, and participating in suppressing women’s protests. These women, members of the Zainabiyat, were trained in security and intelligence operations, becoming instruments for the Houthis against any opposing female voices.

Human rights reports document Zainabiyat involvement in arresting activists, raiding homes, and subjecting detained women to physical and psychological torture. Some accounts describe the use of humiliation and degradation intended to break women’s will and force silence. This unit was not established to protect women or promote their role but to restrict and monitor them, enforce social norms limiting women’s freedom, and intimidate society by showing that Houthi control extends even to women who should be considered victims, not oppressors.

The existence of this unit underscores the Houthis’ strict security mentality and extremist ideology, showing that women under their control face not only domestic and social violence but also a female security machine designed to silence them.

 

Statistics That Tell the Story

2025 was not just a continuation of Yemen’s long conflict; it revealed the scale of the tragedy faced by women and girls. Reports from human rights and UN organizations are not mere statistics but daily life stories told in blood and tears, with Yemeni women being the main victims of violence and political division.

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms documented over 5,618 violations against women between January 1, 2017, and July 2025 across 15 governorates, including Hodeidah, Taiz, Hajjah, Dhamar, and Marib. Violations included killings, injuries, abductions, enforced disappearances, physical and psychological torture, dismissal from public jobs, and forced recruitment, including students. The network recorded 1,479 deaths and 3,398 injuries due to shelling, landmines, and sniper fire, 547 abductions and tortures, and 176 cases of forced recruitment.

Taiz topped the list with 1,802 killings, followed by Hodeidah (219) and Aden (58), with other cases distributed across Lahj, Marib, Al-Jawf, and Al-Bayda. Landmines claimed 274 women, sniper fire killed 124, direct shootings 91, and 46 were killed through other means such as stabbing or being run over.

According to reports, 6.2 million women and girls in Yemen face direct risks of violence and need life-saving assistance. Two-thirds of Yemeni girls are forced into marriage before 18, a form of societal violence linked to poverty and instability.

 

Social Structure

Yemen’s social structure, reinforced by official laws and policies, grants men the so-called “right to discipline women” within the family. Some femicides make headlines, but many go unreported, as do domestic violence cases.

In past years, local media reported crimes of violence and killings against women, such as a husband shooting his wife in June 2025 or the killing of a female teacher early in 2025 by her partner. These incidents are not isolated but highlight the urgent need for clear laws criminalizing violence against women.

Women in Yemen face great difficulty reporting domestic violence, exacerbated by the absence of clear legal protections, and social norms often blame victims and justify violence against them, sometimes even excusing murder.

 

Systematic Exclusion

In a country exhausted by conflict and political division, Yemeni women are not only victims of domestic and social violence but also systematically excluded from decision-making. This exclusion manifests as marginalization, restricted participation, and severe political, social, and economic violations.

In Sanaa, women have virtually no presence in decision-making positions. Activists attempting political or civil participation face arrest, enforced disappearance, and sometimes psychological and physical torture. Human rights reports document hundreds of cases where women are directly targeted to silence them.

In areas controlled by the internationally recognized Interim Government, women have some relative space, but participation remains formal and limited. Many women are excluded from leadership positions and denied opportunities in peace negotiations or policymaking, reflecting how political division prioritizes power struggles over including half the society in shaping the future.

 

One Voice Cannot Challenge Hundreds of Men

Parliament, theoretically a space for representing all societal groups, is dominated by men, with only one female member, making women’s participation nearly nonexistent and entrenching discriminatory laws.

Inside parliament, over 300 men discuss and vote on laws determining the society’s fate, while one woman represents half the population. Her voice, however strong, cannot change what hundreds of men decide.

This near-total absence of women directly impacts legislation. Personal status laws, marriage and divorce laws, and laws regarding work and education are heavily biased against women, leaving no advocate to seriously raise their issues.

 

Yemeni Law Entrenches Violence Against Women

Violence against women in Yemen is rooted in the law itself. Personal status and penal laws, with their gaps and discriminatory clauses, make women more vulnerable to domestic and societal violence and allow perpetrators to escape accountability.

Yemeni laws grant men wide authority over women, especially in marriage and divorce. Some legal provisions permit child marriage and give guardians the power to block marriages without justification (“al-‘adl”). These laws place women under perpetual guardianship and expose them to exploitation.

Loopholes exist in cases of honor crimes and domestic violence, where penalties are often reduced or waived under the guise of customs. Yemen also lacks laws combating domestic and digital violence, leaving women exposed to rising online harassment and exploitation.

 

Digital and Media Violence

Women face extortion and harassment, exacerbated by the absence of laws against cybercrimes. Social norms often blame women victims rather than perpetrators, giving blackmailers free rein.

Digital threats also target female activists, politicians, and journalists, aiming to silence and exclude them from public life. For example, Iftihan Al-Mashhari, director of the Sanitation and Improvement Fund in Taiz, faced a systematic smear campaign before her assassination on September 18, 2025. Despite threats, she continued her work with integrity, demonstrating women’s capacity for leadership, and her assassination was an attack on all women.

 

Women’s Movement

Between 2011 and 2014, Yemen witnessed a women’s movement, a turning point for female participation in political and social life. It led to tangible results, including a 30% quota for women in various institutions through the National Dialogue Conference.

After 2015, the conflict and political division caused a sharp decline in women’s participation, especially in peace negotiations, despite them being the most affected by war.

In recent years, the women’s movement has gradually revived, with new local and international initiatives advocating for women’s roles in peacebuilding and decision-making, restoring hope for Yemeni women’s empowerment.

 

UNSC Resolution 1325: A Fruit of Persistent Effort

In conflict zones, women are often silent victims, burdened by war without a role in decision-making. In 2000, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 placed women at the center of peace and security, recognizing them as essential partners in conflict prevention, resolution, and post-war reconstruction.

The resolution promotes protection from sexual and physical violence, inclusion in peace and security decision-making, gender mainstreaming in conflict prevention and reconstruction, and women’s roles in negotiations, mediation, and community programs.

The resolution is particularly relevant in Yemen, where the post-2015 conflict weakened women’s presence and excluded them from peace talks. Local and international initiatives now invoke Resolution 1325, demanding fair representation and gender integration in political settlements.

 

Conclusion

The suffering of Yemeni women is not a side effect but central to the humanitarian crisis. Yet Yemeni women remain symbols of resilience, with the potential to rebuild society if included in peace and decision-making. A just and stable Yemen requires political will that restores women as a cornerstone of justice and equality, placing their issues at the heart of any national peace project