Members of the “Women’s Committees for the Protection of Young Girls from Early Marriage” at the Siyaj Organization called for the necessity and importance of raising awareness, training, and involving local communities, especially women, in the preventive and subsequent protection of victims of early marriage.
Participants in a meeting held today in Sana’a by the Seyaj Organization and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, emphasized the need for all parties (families, the surrounding community, and Yemeni state institutions) to assume their responsibilities in mitigating the problem, protecting young girls from it, and reducing its impact on victims. For his part, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Sana’a, Ambassador Derk Geerveld, affirmed his country’s support for development and the promotion and protection of human rights, especially for vulnerable and marginalized groups such as women, children, the marginalized, and people with disabilities.
During his meeting with the second cohort of “Women’s Committees” formed by the Siyaj Organization, he explained that his country will continue to support the project to protect young girls from early marriage, given its inherent violence and the deprivation of girls of basic rights such as education, safety, development, and health, among others. This negatively impacts development and human rights in Yemen.
He commended Siyaj’s role in this regard through awareness-raising, protection, monitoring, and advocacy, emphasizing the importance of the project being implemented in rural areas of the governorates of Hodeidah, Ibb, Hajjah, and Al Mahwit.
For his part, Ahmed Al-Qurashi, head of the Siyaj Organization, stressed the importance of strengthening mechanisms and means of preventative protection for young girls by raising positive awareness, enacting legislation to guarantee their rights, and addressing the root causes and motivations behind the spread and perpetuation of this problem. Thanking the people and government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, through their embassy in Sana’a, for their significant and positive role in supporting this project and other development and human rights projects in Yemen.
Meanwhile, Deputy Ambassador Ms. Renate Bors commended the Yemeni government’s cooperation in addressing this issue, expressing her confidence that the efforts being made today will have positive results for young girls, society, and the Yemeni state in the future.
[Image of embassy in Sana’a] On December 1st, Siyaj launched the “Protection” project to reduce child marriage by training 63 women leaders from local communities in 21 districts across the aforementioned governorates. This initial phase of the project was supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Yemen.
Until the end of January 2016, Siyaj will implement a series of activities focused on creating and strengthening proactive protection mechanisms in the targeted areas. These activities include monitoring, legal protection, mobile theater outreach, and other available and appropriate educational and awareness-raising tools tailored to local contexts.
