As part of the project “Protecting Civil and Women’s Spaces and Promoting Women’s Role in the Peace Process,” the Abductees’ Mothers Association (AMA) organized a dialogue session to present a mapping of violations committed against female activists both online and on the ground, and to examine their impact on women’s civic and political participation in peacebuilding, as well as ways to strengthen protection mechanisms for peace activists.
The session, held in the Al-Qahirah District of Taiz City, aimed to address three main areas: documenting violations faced by activists online and in real life, analyzing legal, institutional, and social factors that fuel these violations and hinder their civic and political participation, and formulating mechanisms and practical solutions that ensure a safe and sustainable environment for women’s empowerment in peacebuilding efforts.
Participants in the session agreed on the need to implement several initiatives, including awareness-raising training programs on legal frameworks, developing a comprehensive public awareness program on rights and community issues, completing the setup of a specialized cyber-extortion unit composed of professionals and technical equipment, organizing discussion circles with relevant authorities to correct harmful social norms and misconceptions, and submitting a draft proposal for legislation addressing cybercrimes.
During the discussion, which was attended by 11 trainees including female activists, women’s rights defenders, local initiative workers, legal experts, mosque preachers, and security personnel, some participants spoke about violations experienced by activists, such as unlawful detention, assault and confiscation of property, illegal and arbitrary searches, defamation and verbal attacks, physical assault and harassment, and the circulation of mocking caricatures of activists on Facebook.
Women activists also face restrictions on freedom of movement, threats through social media platforms, cyber extortion, the spread of hate speech, bullying, slander and defamation, accusations attacking their morality, and gender-based discrimination.
The session concluded with several key recommendations, including organizing field workshops targeting female activists, their families, and civil society entities in cooperation with legal experts and journalists; producing short films and podcasts featuring successful women’s stories that explain reporting and protection mechanisms; training female digital security personnel to ensure safe and confidential reporting channels; advocating for the adoption of legislation on cybercrimes; preparing a draft law criminalizing cyber extortion and incitement against women; training reporting officers on how to handle victims with psychological and legal sensitivity; and standardizing fieldwork protocols and information-sharing practices in a manner that protects victims’ privacy.
This dialogue session is part of activities funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the United Nations Peace Support Facility (PSF) and implemented by the Abductees’ Mothers Association (AMA).
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