Female Prisoners in Yemen Living a Haunted Life

According to a family survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, nearly 3 percent of all prisoners around the country are women. This number is considered very high comparing with information from the early nineties which mentioned that women comprised less than one percent of the total prisoners in the country.  In 2005, the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights reported that 53 of the 1,934 prisoners in Sana'a Central Prison  are women, therefore 3.7% of the total number of inmates.

Females who leave prison find it hard to be accepted by their families as well as society, as they are looked at with shame and no respect. Upon leaving prison they try to keep a low profile in order to avoid being bothered by others. When applying for a job, they avoid any information that is linked to their imprisonment. According to Ruqayah Saleh al-Barbari, who was imprisoned for two years for a crime she claims, did not do, her life today is in a very bad situation as people around her know that she was imprisoned which results in being degraded by others. When sitting in living rooms with other women, she feels them gossiping about her, as they gossip and look at her in the same time, which makes it obvious that she is being talked about. “Life after prison for women is very negative. When a man is imprisoned it is not considered a shame even if he admitted on committing the crime, whereas if women are imprisoned, even though they might be innocent they is looked at negatively and with much degrade, said al-Barbari.”

Last year, the Human Rights Committee of the Consultative Council (an advisory board to the President) conducted a tour of the major prisons and reported that many prisoners were in jail without "proper legal basis." The visits prompted the immediate release of 112 people, including several women and children. The Committee fired (with the backing of President Saleh) six prison officials found to be corrupt and incompetent.

According to the committee, conditions were poor in the prisons, where children are likely to be incarcerated along with their mothers. At times, female prisoners are subjected to sexual harassment and violent interrogation by male police and prison officials. The law requires male members of the families of female prisoners to arrange their release; however, female prisoners regularly are held in jail past the expiration of their sentences because their male relatives refuse to authorize their release due to the shame associated with their alleged behavior.

Khaild al-Anesi, a Human Rights activist who defends women that claim to face abuse in prison, mentions that women who are imprisoned are looked at with great shame by family members and society to an extent where family members would act as if they don’t know them and do not consider them part of the family. “Such actions that take place by the family make the chances of abuse for female prisoners higher as security members notice that she does not have anyone to defend her and ask for her rights,” said al-Anesi. “This is a negative aspect that damages the lives of tens of Yemeni women every year, and puts them in a difficult situation and lives with disgrace and shame.”

He added saying that a large number of imprisoned women are there for simple crimes, and are not considered major. However, the shame and disgrace she receives from that crime is unimaginable. He continues clarifying that rarely are women imprisoned due to illegal sexual practice, which the majority of Yemenis believe it to  be the reason they are imprisoned. “They make mistakes just like any other human. We consider it a shame for women to go to prison for the smallest of mistakes, while it is OK for the man to go to prison for the biggest of mistakes, says al-Anesi,” as  he defends female prisoners.

Anisa al-Shuaibi, a former female prisoner claimed that she was repeatedly raped and tortured in prison. She accused the head of the Central Prison for allowing her to be abused and raped by covered men. She took him to court and as her case is still on trial. Anisa received the country’s attention as she was dubbed the women who spoke in a conservative society. However, over the years, she has been threatened and beaten by unknown individuals. Warnings were given to her that her children would be kidnapped if she did not drop the case that she accused prison security of raping her.

The Women's National Committee (WNC), an organization that fights for women rights, recently helped women who had completed their sentence leave prison. They were forbidden to leave prison unless a male guardian collected them. The WNC put pressure on the Ministry of Interior and got this unfair rule changed. The Yemeni Women’s Union, supported by Oxfam in five districts, has 36 volunteer lawyers who provide free legal support to poor women in prisons, courts and police stations. As a result, 450 female prisoners were released in 2004 and 2005.

In rare cases reported in the Yemeni Media in 2001, a woman claimed that she was raped more than ten times while she was in the Mahweet Central Prison. Numerous security members were accused of rape, but the incident was not publicized. Women prisoners suffer greatly in prison, and even more after they leave. Last year the United Nations started programs to help female prisoners develop their selves after they leave prison, and prepare them for the future that awaits them. The training including sowing, crafting, and learning English and computer skills among other important skills they are taught.