The Abductees’ Mothers Association received a high-level international delegation at its main office in Taiz. The delegation included Mr. Klaus Christensen, Strategic Planning Officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Mr. Sabine Friedrich, UNDP Partnership Specialist; Mr. Ayman Makki, Communications Officer at the Office of the UN Special Envoy; Mr. Wael Abdulshafi, Attaché at the Delegation of the European Union; Ms. Helga Hafits, Secretary at the Norwegian Embassy; and Ms. Sophia Filomeni, Deputy Head of Mission representing the German donors.
During the meeting, Ms. Amat Al-Salam Al-Hajj, Chairperson of the Abductees’ Mothers Association, presented the association’s ongoing efforts to secure the release of abductees held by all parties. She urged the delegation to exert serious pressure on the Yemeni parties to move forward with the detainee file and ensure the unconditional release of all abductees.
The association briefed the delegation on the recent wave of arbitrary arrests and ongoing human rights violations committed by the Houthi group against civilians in its areas of control, including the psychological and physical torture endured by abductees and their families for more than a decade.
The association emphasized that all its human rights documentation is regularly submitted to decision-makers, including the Office of the UN Special Envoy and the Prisoner Exchange Committee, to highlight the suffering of the abductees and push for decisive action regarding their fate.
Ms. Al-Hajj also reviewed the association’s efforts to advocate for women’s issues through several initiatives, including the project “Protecting Civic and Women’s Space and Promoting Women’s Role in the Peace Process.” The project, supported by the UNDP through the UN’s Peace Support Facility (PSF), aims to reduce online and offline violations against women activists, assess the impact of such violations on women’s civil and political participation in peacebuilding, and strengthen protection mechanisms for women engaged in peace efforts.
The UN delegation praised the Abductees’ Mothers Association for its tireless efforts to expose human rights violations affecting both men and women. The delegation affirmed that documentation plays a vital role in preserving the human rights record and ensuring justice, redress, and accountability for victims during the transitional justice phase.
