Yemen: Poverty, Water Crisis and Gender Inequality

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Today the main causes of poverty are the water shortage and bad sanitation, a poor economy and agriculture, the lack of access to services such as education and health care and the inadequate infrastructures. Conflicts, civil war (displacement of hundreds of thousands of citizens), corruption and political instability (presence of Al-Qaeda, Islamic State) contribute to the poverty issue.

Poverty in Yemen is unequal. For example, women and immigrants are more affected. Rural areas are also a source of inequality because the poor people are isolated from the rest of population. Approximately 80 per cent of poor people lived in rural areas. For example, according to IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) in 2010, 15 percent only of the population is covered by the national electric grid in rural areas. The others consequences of severe poverty are for example a regression of life expectancy, child malnutrition, illiteracy, education, infant mortality... The link between these indicators and poverty is important.

The fight against poverty is organized by economic and social approaches. The proposals for overcome this challenge are numerous. For example, education, job creation, social services and administration (fighting corruption), access to housing, water and health can be improved. Civil rights, justice and institutions are important to implement profound changes. The fight against poverty can be implemented by internal (civil society, government…) or external (NGOs, foreign governments…) actors. The way to achieve this can be structural reforms or targeted actions. The short and long term effects must be considered.

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In 2011, there had several “ongoing operations”, the map shows 6 operations for the creation of economic and employments opportunities for poor people in Yemen.

This report includes the example of three of the six projects:

Fisheries Investment Project is a programme helps for improve the situation and status of fisher household by creating new and sustainable economic opportunities (aquacultures and microbusinesses for example). It concerns poor people. It is co-financing by E-U, Islamic Development Bank and IFAD.

The Economic Opportunities Programme wants to create and develop value chains for three high-value agricultural products which are honey, coffee and horticulture products. Women are the target group for this programme. The duration is from 2010 to 2016 and the total cost is US$38.6 million.

This project seeks to reduce rural poverty and helps to improve the management of natural resources This project is concentrated in 5 disadvantaged areas due to pressure on resources because of high population growth. The objectives are first to improve production process and marketing systems for the poor rural people and secondly to promote microfinance, microenterprise and access to market and partnerships. Soil conservation and water harvesting are also at the heart of programme. It is co-financing by WB, International Development Association and IFAD and directly benefited 185 000 households.

These projects have a positive impact on poverty and in the long run can become a virtuous circle for economic and social prosperity.

The gender equality is also a powerful way for fight against poverty.

But the gender equality is a significant challenge in the Yemeni society because the place of women is catastrophic. Indeed, according to the « Global Gender Gap Report 2014 » (World Economic Forum), Yemen is ranked the least gender-equal of 142 countries (0,5145).

In fact, despite the promise gender equality in The Yemeni Constitution (Article 41), laws often promote discrimination against women such as in Penal Code or Citizenship Act. Furthermore, the mix of sharia and some traditional and religious beliefs expose women to the risk of social, political, psychological or physical violence.

Women cannot change these laws because there is no female member in the Yemeni parliament, women are excluded from political system. They have fewer rights than men such as nationality, divorce, guardianship and custody and inheritance rights. Freedom of movement is difficult for women because they can’t leave the house whitout the permisssion of their husbands according to the personal status law. There are no laws against female genital mutilation or cutting, marital rape and domestic violence in Yemen and there is a lenient punishment for the “honour killings". Polygyny is legal. Child marriage is frequent and traditional. UNICEF estimates in 2016 that 9% of women are married before 15 years old and 32% before 18 years old.

Even if the law is favorable for women’s work, there are just 20 per cent of women which are engaged in the labour market according to ILO (Indicators of the Labour Market). Education is crucial for access to the labour market but there is a serious problem.

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The table shows that the net enrolment ratio primary and secondary school is much lower for women and the consequence is a lower literacy than men. 72% for women aged 15 to 24 years. It is really far off the Goal 2 “Achieve universal primary education for all” of the MDGs. The teachers are predominantly male according to the WB (in 2010, 28% were women). However there are many projects to improve education, the status of women and overcome this challenge. For example, in 2007, there had a cooperation the Yemeni Government and the World Bank (IDA) for trained 550 rural female teachers. Another project funds by the Global Partnership for Education trained 490 teachers. The benefits for education and families were multiple.

CARE organization is fighting and investing in projects for the basic rights of women, for access to health care, to an education, to the opportunity to earn a living. Donations to NGOs can help to change practices and beliefs that are dangerous for women. The most important thing is to encourage a change of attitude and to influence social and structural. A change of mind set will accelerate the introduction of new laws to regulate child mariage for example.

Women have played major roles during the History in Yemeni society, for example the Queen of Sheba is a symbol of pride for a majority of Yemenite people. Despite this catastrophic situation, Yemeni women are determined today to regain their freedoms and equality. “The solution to women’s issues can only be achieved in a free and democratic society in which human energy is liberated, the energy of both women and men together