A third session for Abductees’ Mothers Association to advocate for the involvement of women in decision-making and  peacebuilding process

Funded by  “Saferworld” the Abductees’ Mothers Association  held on Wednesday evening, the third  advocasy session to involve women in decision-making and peacebuilding, by the Zoom platform, under the title: “Together to support Yemeni women’s participation in decision-making and enhance their leadership role.”

 In the discussion session moderated by Mis. Balqis Al-Lahabi, a consultant at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, she talked on how to involve women in decision-making, the peacebuilding process, protecting their rights, and creating pressure against violators of women’s rights.

 “Asmaa Al-Ra’i,” director of the Abductees’ Mothers Association _ Taiz branch, stated that there are outcomes of many of the workshops held by the association in the governorates of Taiz and Ma’rib, summarized in two axes, the first represented by: “international and local legislative decisions and national steps for decision-making and peacebuilding,” and the second axis represented by:  : “Qualifying women in decision-making and peacebuilding in Yemen through course programs.”

 Al-Rai also called for the importance of participating in signing the petition published by the Abductees’ Mothers Association, which she considers an important step in empowering women politically and in decision-making positions.

 In the session, which was attended by about 59 activists, media figures, jurists, and lawyers, the first topic of the session was presented by Mr. Abdul Rahman Berman, Executive Director of the American Center (ACJ), entitled “Promoting Women’s Rights under Yemeni Legislation,” and stressed that there are  A large gap between national legislation and international legislation ratified by Yemen, and a large difference between Islamic legislative texts and scientific theoretical application.

 Berman stressed the need to put pressure on those who practice human rights violations through publication, documentation, and other pressure tools, and pointed to the importance of the work of the media and civil society organizations in forming the first line of defense against violations that occur against civilians in general and women in particular.

 In the same context of the topic of the second session presented by “Mis. Maha Awad”, President of the Human Security Presence Organization, under the title “How can the results of the Women’s Summit contribute to achieving women’s empowerment?” she confirmed that the Women’s Summit discussed all social reactions to the violations and forms of violence committed against women.  Women, which is almost socially acceptable, which reinforces the necessity of having a social base that advocates for women’s rights and protects them in the face of the violations they are exposed to.

 In the third session topic, entitled “The Role of the National Committee in Promoting Women’s Participation and Empowerment,” Dr. Shafiqa Saeed, Chairperson of the National Committee for Women, emphasized the role of the Committee in enhancing women’s participation in decision-making and the peace-building process, and that the Committee has played important roles, the most important of which is promoting  The presence of women’s management in all ministries, through direct meetings with all ministers of the internationally recognized government, including the Prime Minister, the Presidency of the Republic and other ministries. Dr. Shafiqa added that as a result of the demands of the National Committee for Women and the demands of all society, these demands were met, and the first results were the appointment of the first woman at the top of the judicial authority, which is the Supreme Judicial Council, in addition to the appointment of eight female judges

Meanwhile, “Mis. Houria Mashhour,” a founding member of the National Accord Movement, head of direction in the Feminist Solidarity Network, and former Minister of Human Rights, mentioned in the axis under the title “The Role of Yemeni Parties in Achieving Women’s Empowerment,” where she indicated that before the recent events in Yemen, the women of the parties find resistance within the parties themselves in the process of empowerment. Women in the parties are not a symbol of success and they find it difficult to participate in the decision-making process.

 She also emphasized that the parties in the current state of the court share their shares in the details of the state and exclude the nomination of women from the decision-making processes, despite the presence of competencies and despite the demands for the importance of including women.

 At the conclusion of the session, the floor for discussion was opened for the attendees, who praised the role of the Association and its efforts in highlighting the role of women. Sheikh Al-Ashwal, head of the National Team for Local Mediation, spoke about the current situation with the absence of state institutions, the absence of the role of organizations, and the importance of having a bloc that works in all civil society organizations in the field of  National Reconciliation.  

The session came out with a set of outputs that, in turn, will contribute to the involvement of Yemeni women in decision-making and peacebuilding, contribute to their involvement in all areas of development, and contribute to provide more support to empower them economically and morally, which is what the Association of Abductees’ Mothers  seeks through one of its strategic goals calling for “  Contributing to enhancing women’s participation in peace development