The Urgency of Human Rights and Development in Yemen

Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world. It is also on of the most unstable and one of the most vulnerable to being taken advantage of by external forces, in particular Al Qaeda. The weak central government that rules from the capital, S’ana, uses force and corrupted methods to hold together the many rural tribes that make up the country of Yemen. Most of this rural area is unreachable by government control, which leaves this space especially vulnerable. With 45% of the population living under two dollars a day

, unemployment at 40%, a population growth rate of about 3.5% (one of the highest in the world), 75% of the population under 30 years of age, a lack of sustainable resources and a literacy rate of 54.1%

, Yemen most certainly can be identified as an impoverished country. In addition, with the population growing as quickly as it is, there will be a much higher demand in the near future for stronger institutions and basic needs, which Yemen cannot provide. As a result of Yemen’s weakness and instability, the threat of it becoming a breeding ground for Al Qaeda is becoming more possible. In order to ensure Yemen’s security and, in this sense, the security of the rest of the world, Yemen needs action from the inside to strengthen it to protect itself and alleviate its impoverishment.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Yemen is ranked 153^rd on the Human Development Index (HDI), which places it among the least developed countries. The UNDP also gives the following reasons for Yemen’s lack of development: “lack of transparency and participation, disempowerment of women and children, inequitable and unsustainable use of water, and jobless growth in the face of unemployment.”

Social development over the past twenty years has continued to remain steadily poor, in particular gender equality and education attainment. There is significant lack of access to education, especially for women, high rates of maternal mortality, gender gaps, and an incredibly weak educational system. These two basic human rights are imperative towards the development in Yemen. Protecting human rights in Yemen will encourage and facilitate development, help to alleviate poverty, and act as a foundation for a stronger Yemen in the future.

The process of development needs to be done by expanding human freedoms and rights

. Though internationally most of the focus on human rights are on Civil and Politics Rights (CP Rights), meaning those rights that protect human dignity, it is important also to draw attention to Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ESC Rights), which is acting positively to promote such rights as education and adequate standards of living for all people

. Both sets of human rights are equally important towards development for a country and in the case of Yemen, both CP rights and ESC rights need to be recognized, made into policy, and enforced. Specific to this article are the rights for gender equality and education, which are two or the human rights in Yemen that act as barriers to development

.

Though it is a recognized as a human right by international human rights laws, there is very little, if any, equality between men and women in Yemen. Laws in Yemen do not protect the rights of women, but instead allow and encourage the practice of violence and negative treatment of women

. Childhood marriage is a huge issue in Yemen; it is commonly practiced in order to ensure the virginity of the girl and the honour of her family. 14% of women marry before the age of 15 and 48% are married before the age of 18, almost always without the consent of the woman

. As a result, women are deprived of a complete education, are often subjected to domestic violence, are too frequently victims of maternal mortality and are left completely dependent on their husbands. Women in Yemen have absolutely no freedom or rights because they are either tied to their husbands or to their male dominated families and are seen as lesser human beings under the law.

Before 1999 the minimum age for a girl to be married was fifteen, but in 1999 the law was changed and subsequently eradicated any minimum age limit on girls. The law was simply that there must be consent of the guardian and the marriage could not be consummated before the girl reached puberty

. Obviously, neither of these laws were properly enforced. Marriages in Yemen are rarely properly registered and though the law says marriages must be registered, there is no punishment for failing to register. This allows for little oversight for the protection of women’s rights. Recently, in February of 2009, the legal age of marriage was set at seventeen after ten years of no marriage limit at all

. However, this law is still not properly enforced. Early marriage is widespread throughout Yemen and exposes girls to maternal mortality, domestic violence, and no education. In Yemen a woman dies due to complications from childbirth every eight minutes

.

There are clearly no rights for women in Yemen, which is a huge problem in terms of the development of a country. With women not active in society, Yemen cannot possibly compete globally. A former prime minster of Yemen, Abdul Karim al-Iryani, recognizes the problem as a fundamental one: “The East Asian miracle,” he added, “wasn’t possible without women [or education, for that matter]. In the Arab world, if half our society is excluded, how will we ever catch up with those new tigers?”

. It is important to recognise that poverty is not just a result of low income, but of “other variables, such as unemployment, ill health, lack of education, and social exclusion.”

It is certainly evident that social exclusion of women in Yemen is depriving society of half of its potential.

Related to Yemen’s loss of potential is its loss of seemingly a whole generation due to its severely lacking educational system, which also harshly ignores women’s rights. A strong educational system is an ESC human right that is vital to the facilitation of development in Yemen. Amartya Sen, a nobel prize winning economist, describes the necessity of education in development in his book Development as Freedom: “Illiteracy can be a major barrier to participation in economic activities that require production according to specification or demand strict quality control (as globalized trade increasingly does). Similarly, political participation may be hindered by the inability to read newspapers or to communicate in writing with others involved in political activities.”

Education, therefore, is an essential human right that allows for productive political and economic participation, which is fuel for development and hence necessary for alleviation of poverty, lack of security, and general impoverishment.

Yemeni officials, lawmakers and businessmen recently discussed the decline of the Yemeni educational system with journalist Thomas Friedman, which he reflects upon in his New York Times article It’s All About Schools. They cite the injection of Islam religious conservatism and extremism into the educational system as the primary cause. Yemenites have been deprived of the right skill building due to a highly lacking school system. Because of this, Yemen has been unable to train a labour force that could compete in the world. Schools focus predominantly on religion and are taught by inadequate teachers, of which only 65% have just a high school degree

. Schools are not teaching skills that create a productive labour force; these are skills such as: problem solving, organization, teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and debate

. Thomas Friedman argues that Yemen needs to properly education its people and then learn how to use their educated people. In his eyes, failure to do this would result in the furthering of impoverishment and “the Al Qaeda virus, still controllable…” spreading

. Sen writes that “the creation of social opportunities, though such services as public education, healthcare, and the develop of a free and energetic press, can contribute both to economic development and to significant reductions in mortality rates. Reduction of mortality rates, in turn, can help to reduce birth rates, reinforcing the influence of basic education – especially female literacy and schooling- on fertility behaviour.”

He stresses the connection between enhancement of economic growth through social opportunity, especially in basic education. Yemen urgently needs development through the development of its human rights.

Currently some action is being taken in Yemen. The quasi-governmental society in Yemen for women, the Women National Committee, his reported that there has been progress in respect for women’s rights. There has been a recent increase in education for women and more women are joining the work force

. Top Yemeni education officials are trying to encourage schools to steer away from religious extremism in the education system and encourage a more well rounded and practical education. Yemeni leaders recognise the threat of al Qaeda infiltration and the  need for more gender equality, better policy enforcement, a strong education system, and a general recognition of CP and ESC human rights to promote development and suppress such a threat

. Development in Yemen will work as a foundation upon which it will be possible to build a sturdier, more competitive, and more secure nation. Promoting development is the only way Yemen will have a future in the world.

WORKS CITED

“Embassy of Yemen – Human Rights and Women’s Issues.” Embassy of Yemen – HOME. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. <http://www.yemenembassy.org/issues/democracy/HRandParticipation.htm>.

Friedman, Thomas. “It’s All About Schools.” The New York Times 7 Feb. 2010, OP-Ed Columnist sec. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/opinion/10friedman.html?scp=6&sq=yemen&st=cse>.

Friedman, Thomas. “Postcard From Yemen.” The New York Times 6 Feb. 2010, OP-Ed Columnist sec. Print.

“IRIN Middle East | Yemen.” IRIN ” humanitarian news and analysis from Africa, Asia and the Middle East – updated daily. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. <http://www.irinnews.org/ME-Country.aspx?Country=YE>.

“National Constitutional Provisions Yemen | Right to Education.” Welcome to the Homepage of the Right to Education Project | Right to Education. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. <http://www.right-to-education.org/country-node/405/country-constitutional>.

Sen, Amartya Kumar. Development as freedom. New York: Anchor, 2000. Print.

“UNDP in Yemen | About Yemen.” UNDP in Yemen | Home Page. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. <http://www.undp.org.ye/y-profile.php>.

Uvin, Peter. Human Rights and Development. New York: Kumarian, 2004. Print.

“Yemen | Human Rights Watch.” Home | Human Rights Watch. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. <http://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2010/yemen>.

“Yemen News – Breaking World Yemen News – The New York Times.” Times Topics. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/yemen/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=yemen&st=cse>.

Yemen’s Dark Side: Discrimination and Violence Against Women and Girls. Rep. Amnesty International, 2009. Print.

© 2010, Alena Charow. All rights reserved.

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