If Afghanistan is equal to Mad Max, Yemen is going to be a double feature with Animal House and acid reflux.
The Lack of Women’s Rights
The Personal Status Law of Yemen, Law No. 20 of 1992, as amended in 1997 and 1999, is generally known as the family law statute. The law covers matters relating to marriage, divorce, custody of children and inheritance. Typical of the Middle East, numerous discriminatory provisions that severely constrain women’s lives, putting them at risk of abuse exist and are the law of the land.
The headshaking Article 40 specifies that a wife must obey her husband and cannot leave the home without his permission. If a wife disobeys her husband and goes out without his consent, he is entitled to make her return to the matrimonial home and if necessary by force.
Article 12 states that a man can have up to four wives if he is fair to them all, can support them each, and informs the first and subsequent wives that he plans to marry again. On the other hand, for a woman to marry at all, she must obtain the permission of her guardian, who would normally be her father or another male relative. If the male guardian does not consent, the woman may apply to a court for permission but this may not be granted. The guardian can file for an annulment of a marriage if the woman has married without his permission, even if this is against her wishes. (You can’t make this stuff up and unfortunately, the average American voter has no clue as to the existence of laws like these outside our borders.)
The requirement for women to obtain the permission of a guardian to marry clearly restricts women’s rights guaranteed by international law, including the rights to freely choose a spouse, to marry and to equality before the law. A woman who seeks a sexual relationship outside a marriage or has more than one sexual partner risks life-threatening consequences. Women who assert their right to marry a partner of their choice against the wishes of their families are at high risk of physical violence and restrictions on their freedom of movement, including but not limited to jail.
It is simply not unusual for a woman to be forced into marriage.
Divorce
Yemen’s Family Law is discriminatory when it comes to divorce. Under Article 59, a man may divorce his wife at will, without needing to provide a reason while women seeking divorce must petition a court and can only do so on only on extreme grounds.
Forced Child Marriage
Early marriage of boys and girls is common in Yemen, particularly in rural areas. Girls are usually married at a younger age than boys and as a result, many leave school and are exposed to pregnancy and childbirth at very early ages. Child brides are denied any sort of fundamental education, are rendered financially and socially dependent on their husbands, and lack the basic skills to escape their plight. Young girls are often forced by their families to marry men who are considerably older than them with ample reports of men in their 40s to 60s marrying 12 to 15 year olds.
Forced marriages involving school-age girls frequently result in domestic violence. Parents in poor rural areas often marry off their daughters at young ages because women in general and girls in particular are seen as a drain on resources; as farm labor their worth is less than any boy in a man’s eyes.
Article 15 of the Personal Status Law began by prohibiting the marriage of girls under the age of 15; however, Law No. 24 of 1999 removed the age restriction and legalized the marriage of girls under the age of 15 provided that the guardian consents and the marriage is consummated after the little girl reaches puberty.
NOW
Unfortuately, the website of the National Organization of Women makes no mention of these or other abusive laws, rules, and regulations against those suffering in Yemen; however, ample coverage exists for the lesbian rights movement in the United States.
Comment
If we are fighting to reduce the exportation of terrorism across the world, then a world-wide effort is needed. If we are going to Yemen to prop up another regime of mobsters, then one American Soldier’s life is a cost that unacceptable. With the average age in Yemen under 17, we are truly stepping into the Mad Max world of Animal House gone rogue.
Think About It
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