Helping combat gender based violence in Yemen
Reaching People in Need is not just about providing emergency aid, food, water, shelter or medical help. An essential component is education – raising awareness of issues to help improve people’s quality of life. That is exactly what Islamic Help Yemen delivered with its 16 Days of Activism project to help combat gender-based violence (GBV).
Part of an international programme and supported by the UNFPA - the United Nations Population Fund - our Yemen office staged a series of workshops and activities in five governates in Yemen (Sa’adah, AlJawf, Amran,Ibb,ALHudaidah) to raise awareness of issues like violence against women and children, child marriages, female genital mutilation, the lack of education due to social/gender exclusion and the targeting of women & children by armed groups.
These issues are ingrained in some sectors of Yemen society and affect the lives of thousands of people on a daily basis through communal, marital, domestic and socially motivated violence.
Islamic Help Yemen’s work included workshops for community leaders, social and health workers to increase their awareness and how to deal with survivors; classroom projects; interactive theatre and shows, and the delivery of health and psychological support for survivors.
The team received recognition of its commitment and achievements when it was dedicated a two-hour live national show on Yemen TV which also featured its other work in conflict-ridden areas of the country and the implementation of different type of projects.
