In an effort to preserve women’s privacy and protect their rights during travel and mobility, the Abductees’ Mothers Association, in coordination with the Office of Siege Affairs in Taiz Governorate, launched an initiative to equip a women’s verification room at the eastern checkpoint of the city, in Sala District, with technical and electronic equipment.

This special room, dedicated to verifying women’s personal information during travel, entry, and exit through the checkpoint, has been renovated with roof repairs, painting, new chairs for staff and waiting women, as well as a tablet device. The initiative falls under the activities of the project “Protecting Civil and Women’s Spaces and Promoting Women’s Role in the Peace Process”, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the United Nations Peace Support Facility (PSF).

Mr. Maher Al-Absi, Director General of the Office of Siege Affairs in Taiz, emphasized the importance of this initiative by the Abductees’ Mothers Association, describing it as the first organization to respond to the pressing needs of the women’s verification room at the eastern checkpoint and to provide its equipment. He stressed that the eastern checkpoint represents a vital lifeline after ten years of siege.

Similarly, Major Ammar Mahyoub, Director of the Eastern Checkpoint, extended his gratitude to the Abductees’ Mothers Association on behalf of all checkpoint personnel for their efforts and for equipping the women’s verification room. He also called on civil society organizations active in the field to visit the eastern checkpoint and assess its needs, whether for travelers or citizens who endure long waiting times due to severe congestion, as well as for urgent medical supplies and basic facilities such as restrooms.

The importance of this initiative lies in facilitating women’s movement through the eastern checkpoint, which was reopened more than a year ago after years of closure of the main roads. During the years of blockade, women faced numerous violations while traveling through alternative routes, including abduction, intrusive searches, harassment, theft and looting of personal belongings, verbal abuse, humiliation, and restrictions on their freedom of movement. Women also endured severe hardship, traveling for long hours under difficult conditions.

MySonFreedomFirst