As a male ambassador, I am not an obvious candidate to promote women’s rights. But the subject is close to my heart. I have spent my whole life with brilliant, accomplished women. These include my mother and sister, my wife, daughter and my female friends, colleagues, and professional contacts which included the many Yemeni women playing leading roles in public life. Feminism is sometimes treated as if it were an unusual perspective, whereas to me it is simply an obvious truth that all human beings should have equality of rights and of opportunity; and that in turn leads to diversity, resilience, efficiency and productivity in the societies, economies and states that embrace it.
In this context, I want to flag up today’s date. 25 November marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Ending violence against women and girls is a priority for the UK at home and overseas. It’s also a personal priority of mine in my role as Ambassador to Yemen, a country where the suffering of women is particularly profound. Around the world 35% of women and girls will experience some form of physical or sexual violence during their lifetime. More than 700 million women alive today were married as children. 250 million of them were married before the age of 15. It is estimated that, worldwide, over 130 million women and girls have been subjected to female genital mutilation. Every day thousands of women, men and children are subjected to rape and sexual violence in conflicts around the world. In Yemen women are subjected to various forms of violence, including physical and psychological abuse at home, deprivation of education, early marriage, and forced and exchanged marriages. UNICEF estimate that between 2002-2012 at least 13% of adolescent girls were married.
Women are also disproportionately affected by the current crisis in Yemen. They suffer greater restrictions on their ability to move around the country, make decisions, access education, and access and control their resources. They also have poor access to information, whether it is regarding their rights, or facts about their health and nutrition – critical not only for women themselves but their children and their families. When women are better educated about these issues, everybody benefits – men included. Earlier this year the UN issued a Gender Alert which makes clear the critical importance of supporting women and girls in the international humanitarian response in Yemen.
Despite these challenges, Yemeni women play a vital role throughout the country and must continue this by promoting peace within their local communities. Many of the Yemeni women that I speak to are keen to do just this. The Government of Yemen’s role is crucial if women are to play this much-needed part in the peace process. A necessary and positive start would be for the Government to undertake legal measures to empower its women to practice their political rights and participate positively in public life. The outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference – where women formed 27% of the delegates – strengthened women’s political participation and promoted actions to combat violence against women. Fulfilling its recommendations includes women comprising at least 30 % of the leadership of independent bodies and of the seats on elected legislative assemblies.
This may not sound like a lot, but if fulfilled it would put Yemen just ahead of the UK (which has 29.4% female representation in the House of Commons) and ahead of countries such as Australia, USA and France.
The UK has committed to support the UN Development Programme’s initiative to establish a “Yemeni Women Pact for Peace and Security”. This group, which includes women from different Yemeni political and social groupings, will monitor Yemeni implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, a UNSCR on the importance of women’s equal participation and full involvement in peace and security, conflict prevention and resolution. The Pact will also seek to ensure women’s voices are reflected in future peace discussions. I will be personally monitoring the progress of this work and doing all I can to promote it.
The UK is strongly encouraging female participation – from all sides – during the UN-brokered talks which I hope will start soon. This will allow women to have an opportunity to contribute to building peace, resuming the dialogue process, and helping Yemen get out from its crisis. The UK will also be launching two projects in Yemen soon to promote a greater voice for under-represented groups in an inclusive peace settlement.
There is much work to be done to give Yemeni women equal opportunities and rights. I call on all those who are working for Yemen’s future to make this a priority. What is clear is that no country can develop if it leaves half its population behind.