UN Warns: Escalation in Yemen Pushing Women and Girls to the Brink of Catastrophe
Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
In a new report, UN Women stated that the military escalation in Yemen since late 2024 has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, particularly for women and girls. This is largely due to strikes targeting vital facilities such as Hudaidah port and Sana’a airport, which have disrupted the flow of essential aid.
The report confirmed that 9.6 million women and girls are in urgent need of life-saving assistance at a time when access to healthcare, clean water, and psychological support is eroding. It also highlighted that over 400 pregnant and lactating women, along with thousands of children, have been affected by the collapse of infrastructure.
Women constitute 26% of newly displaced household heads, often widows and divorcees, who suffer from loss of livelihoods. They are sometimes forced to resort to begging, child marriage, or selling assets as survival mechanisms.
The report also warned of an increase in gender-based violence due to a lack of privacy in shelters, weak protection, and the absence of lighting and separate sanitary facilities, exposing women and girls to risks of exploitation and abuse.
It further highlighted the surge in child marriages and the deteriorating health situation, with Yemen recording the highest maternal mortality rate in the region, where one woman dies every two hours during childbirth amidst the collapse of the healthcare system.
Despite their active participation in relief efforts and civil society, women continue to face societal restrictions, such as the requirement of a “mahram” (male guardian), which limits their role in decision-making and humanitarian response.
