Yemen’s Human Rights Abuses Skyrocket Amidst Ongoing Chaos

Abstract

Six years of war in Yemen have destroyed human rights in a country whose record was already abysmal. Yemen is considered the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, largely due to its food insecurity. Destroyed infrastructure, lack of services and fuel, a non-functioning government, and continued fighting has taken the lives of over 18,000 civilians, leaving survival efforts to take precedent overall. With no oversight, human rights are non-existent. A significant rise in violence has occurred against women including abuse, rape, and torture by a number of parties, including belligerents. Houthi rebels, Saudi forces, and Saudi backed Yemeni forces have all been documented to have committed serious abuses against civilians. For women, violence in the home is even worse. With extremely limited rights and protection, women remain vulnerable to domestic and sexual violence from relatives and have little to no recourse. Honor killings remain acceptable, and young girls are frequently married off as there is no minimum age of marriage. With chaos continuing to block most outside help, Yemeni’s will continue to suffer extreme human rights abuses until the war ends.