In light of the ongoing procrastination of the issue of the forcibly disappeared in Aden, the suffering of mothers, in particular, and the families of the forcibly disappeared in general is increasing. For years, 61 civilians in Aden have been forcibly disappeared and there is no way to obtain any information to know their conditions.
In conjunction with the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, we declare our full solidarity with the mothers and families of the forcibly disappeared who are facing unspeakable suffering, starting with the daily anxiety they live in and fear for their forcibly disappeared relatives’ lives, some of whom have exceeded seven years in an unknown fate, through all forms of physical and verbal violence that mothers and wives of the forcibly disappeared are subjected to in their journey to search for their relatives.
The suffering of these mothers is compounded by the authorities’ disregard and failure to take effective measures to uncover the fate of their forcibly disappeared sons. From our rally today, we condemn what the mothers and relatives of the forcibly disappeared suffer from the absence of the family’s provider, and what accompanies that of extortion and insults to them by the relevant authorities and the prison administration, during their search for their forcibly disappeared relatives.
We also call upon the international community and government agencies to take immediate actions that ensure uncovering the fate of the forcibly disappeared and referring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.
We also call for providing psychological and social support to the mothers of the forcibly disappeared and their families to alleviate their suffering and provide them with the necessary support.
We believe that it is necessary to end these violations and violence against women and families in general. The first step to end these violations is to uncover the fate of these forcibly disappeared and let them safely return to their families.
Issued by Abductees’ Mothers Association, Aden.
December 4th, 2023.