GBV as a weapon of war in conflict and post conflict countries

Written by:

Basheer Omar Al-Selwi. Master Degree Student  in the International Development and Gender Studies 

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Table of contents

I. Introduction

II.The analysis

III. Conclusion

IV. References

I. Introduction
In times of conflicts and wars, gender–based violence (GBV), including rape, may take on a new
form and shape, even turning into an intentional tactics of battling. (UNFPA).

There are two essential types of attacking women by raping and harming them brutally. The
first type of GBV as a weapon of war is designed, planned and executed by a number of men or
small group. The second type of gender-based violence (raping) as a war weapon is considered
to be as an integral part of military strategy “weapon of war” . Usually, raping uses in order to
demoralize enemy and disintegrate its capabilities morally. ( Prof. Dr. Thomas Elbert, Dr.
HaraldHinkel, Dr. Anna Maedl, Katharin Hermenau, M.Sc., Tobias Hecker, M.Sc., Dr. Maggie
Schauer, Heike Riedke, Nina Winkler M.Sc. & M.A. , Dr. Philip Lancaster, 2013)

In post conflict areas, warriors and/ or combatants who have already got back from the
battlefield tend to be more aggressive and violent toward their community, families, children,
wives, relatives and citizens in general. (Rashida Manjoo & Calleigh McRaith, 2013)
This article aims at providing a brief overview of GBV in conflict and post-conflict settings, with
a particular focus on GBV as it has been used as a weapon of war in the time of conflict since
long time.


II. The Analysis:
At the onset of this analytically paper, there is a query putting itself strongly on what do we
mean by Gender-based violence (GBV), according to the European Institute for Gender Equality
(EIGE) “Gender-based violence (GBV) is violence that is directed against a person on the basis
of gender. It constitutes a breach of the fundamental right to life, liberty, security, dignity,
equality between women and men, non-discrimination and physical and mental integrity”
(EIGE)

“The concept of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) generally refers to “violence that occurs as a
result of the normative role expectations associated with each gender, along with the unequal
power relationships between the two genders, within the context of a specific society” (Shelah
S. Bloom, 2008, p.14)

In this regard and throughout the history of human beings, rape has been commonly
understood as something that must be expected in times of wars and conflicts, also as an
inevitable aspect of warring. Moreover, rape has been considered as a weapon of war aimed at
asserting and proving dominance, control and victory upon the defeated side. Therefore, GBV
in shape of rape has been occurring as it has been seen and/ or understood as a (battle loot ) in
term of rewarding the conquering soldiers with the rape of the women of the defeated( Maria
Eriksson Baaz, 2009)

Violence against women in conflicted setting, particularly rape, has been added as a new
weapon of war to recent wars tactics. Therefore and that’s why numbers of countries had been
witnessing an intensive conflict alongside with serious GBV for a long time such as Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Peru , Rwanda, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cyprus, Haiti, Liberia, Somalia and
Uganda.(UNCEF report on the state of the world’s children, 1996)

GBV in shape of rape is solely one way to commit genocide. This way is also regarded as a
weapon of war aimed at destroying a certain or specific community or group by demolishing its
cultural, religious and social bonds and structures. Furthermore, when women are being raped
during any conflict or war; most of them get killed straightforward by their rapists after they are
done with them. If a raped woman survives, the whole social structure will be drifted into
violence. Most of the martial rape are intended to destroy the structure and bonds of the
targeted community such as the mass rapes of women in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwandan
women by Hutu soldiers, Vietnamese women by U.S. GI’s, of the systematic rapes of Bengali
women by Pakistani soldiers in 197 1, and earlier of Na•ve American women by Bri•sh.
(CLAUDIA CARD, 1996)

GBV can also be regarded as a weapon of war as it is being used to destroy a certain community
morals and beliefs. Such weapon can be directed against women and men alike. Men can be an
object of GBV as a weapon of war; this can be easily noticed through the images
of Lynddie England1 abusing, torturing and ritually humiliating Iraqi men in Abu Ghraib prison.
While these images shocked the Western public and she and others involved were categorized
as being a minority of monsters (Kieran Ford artcle, 2011)

Note: 1LynndieRana England (born 1982) is a former United States Army Reserve soldier who served
in the 372nd Military Police Company. She was one of eleven military personnel convicted in
2005 by Army courts-martial in connection with the torture and prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib
prison in Baghdad during the occupation of Iraq.

Gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict countries and areas may take abundant
ways and styles including rape, slavery, forced impregnation/abortion, kidnapping/trafficking,
subjection to the state of being naked, and disease transmission, with rape and sexual violence
being among the most regular ways. Furthermore, rape in conflict situations is often very
violent, aggressive and brutal to the last degree, such brutal acts usually involving gang-rape
and rape under the threat of external objects such as guns, knives, and other life-threatening
tools. In addition to rape, sexual assault is also prevalent and widespread, particularly in the
forms of forced nudity, strip searches, and other publicly/ overtly degrading and awful
aggressive acts. These acts and other acts of sexual violence, such as forced impregnation or
forced abortion, are often part of a deliberate strategy and tactics of war, used to destabilize,
subvert and psychology demoralize the civilian population and violate the dignity of the rival
enemy. (Rashida Manjoo & Calleigh McRaith, 2010)

The GBV can be used as weapon of war in conflicted societies or countries, more specifically
during ethnic conflict. Put differently, rape is often used in ethnic conflicts as a way for
attackers to immortalize and assert forcefully their social grip and redraw ethnic boundaries
such as what happened in Bosnia; systematic rape was used as part of the strategy of ethnic
cleansing, Women were raped so they could give birth to a Serbian baby.( Laura Smith-Spark ,
BBC)

Post-conflict societies mostly endure and also experience practices of gender-based violence
such as Kosovo. Actually, brutal rape and other forms of sexual violence and aggression have
been witnessed and exercised as major factors in undermining and posing a threat on postconflict
peace processes. It is also to some extent common for any society to experience an
increase in trafficking issues which based on gender, such as forced prostitution which may
include men and women. Domestic violence is one trait of conflicted and post-conflicted
communities. Therefore, domestic violence can be committed and/ or practiced by either men
or women who have already got back from the battlefield. Raping crimes following a conflict
are happening sometime more than before the raging of a conflict. Some of these issues,
particularly domestic violence and trafficking/kidnapping, may reach higher levels after the
winding up of a conflict than were practiced by the society during the conflict/war. The postconflict
increases in acts of domestic violence, for example, has led to speculation of a
connection between these forms of GBV and the accessibility to small arms, an increased
tolerance of violence within community , and the head of households having been partaking in
military violence during the conflict and/ or wars. (Rashida Manjoo &CalleighMcRaith, 2010)

Sexual violence as a weapons of war directed against individuals, not only on the basis of group
membership (i.e. ethnicity, tribe, race, etc.), but also exclusively on the bases of gender. Despite
the tangible increase in occurrence during conflict, international community and national
policies have ignored the tremendous negative effects of sexual violence in hampering peace
and security of the conflicted communities. The failure to plainly recognize sexual violence as a
weapon of war has resulted in impunity, a•ec•ng the likelihood. (Jennifer Park, 2001)


III. Conclusion

Gender-based violence (GBV) can be regarded as weapon of war as it has been exercised in so
many previous and ongoing conflicts and wars worldwide. GBV happens or takes place either
for military tactics such as asserting control and proving dominance or it goes beyond that and
becomes merely for gayness and entertainment.

Defeating the opposed rival requires using gender-based violence against its women, for
example, raping them, kidnaping/ trafficking them, humiliating them publicly, subject them to
the state of being naked, forced them to abort their babies, and hurt them to the last degree.
This is how gender-based violence becomes a tool of war, and this also how such awful acts
have been justified for a long time by those who have been committing Gender-based violence
in times of war and conflicts.

Gender-based violence is a blind tool of war as it cannot differentiate in its brutality and dirty
purposes between men, women, boys, girls, children and kids. It’s a tool has always been
directed to destabilize communities and decimate its people. Its tremendous negative effects
can be spilled in to a community even after the conclusion of a conflict. This is in turn led to
high rate of criminality, killings, brutal domestic violence, raping, kidnaping/trafficking and so
many other negative and horrific acts. All these acts pose a threat to the social and religious
bonds of a certain community which may drift it to chaos and disintegration, and hamper its
peace process particularly those post-conflict ones


IV. References:
1. Card, C. (1996), Rape as a Weapon of War, in Hypatia (1996), p.8
2. http://www.unicef.org/sowc96pk/sexviol.htm (accessed Thursday 01, May 2014)
3. http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/events/16days/ (accessed Thursday 01, May 2011
4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4078677.stm (accessed 02.May 2014)
5. http://eige.europa.eu/content/what-is-gender-based-violence (accessed 01, May 2014)
6. Jennifer Par (2001) (SEXUAL VIOLENCE AS A WEAPON OF WAR IN INTERNATIONAL
HUMANITARIAN LAW, Women In International
Security and the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georown University in
Washington, DC.
7. Kieran Ford (2011) Should we regard gender-based violence as a weapon of war?, UK,
Aberystwyth University
8. Maria Eriksson Baaz (2009), Why Do Soldiers Rape? Masculinity, Violence, and Sexuality
in the Armed Forces in the Congo (DRC) Sweden, University of Gothenburg, pp.498
9. Prof. Dr. Thomas Elbert, Dr. HaraldHinkel, Dr. Anna Maedl, KatharinHermenau, M.Sc.,
Tobias Hecker, M.Sc., Dr. Maggie Schauer, Heike Riedke, Nina Winkler M.Sc. & M.A. , Dr.
Philip Lancaster (2013), Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the Kivu Provinces of the
Democratic Republic of Congo: Insights from Former Combatants, Washington, DC, The
Interna•onal Bank for Reconstruc•on and Development / The World Bank, pp.5
10. Rashida Manjoo&CalleighMcRaith ( 2010) Gender-Based Violence and Justice in Conflict
and Post-Conflict Areas, Avon Global Center for Women and Justice at Cornell Law
School, Cornell Interna•onal Law Journal, pp.12
11. Shelah S. Bloom, Oct. 2008, Violence against women and girls – A compendium of
Monitoring and Evalua•on indicators, USAID, p. 14.

Taiz a Fascinated City for Wonderful people

Taiz is the perpetual city of beauty, where people entirely different in their speculations and ways of perceiving things. People of this city are wise, peaceful, educated, and pay more attention in how to be successful in all walks of life. In a city like Taiz, you can find everything moves easily, smoothly, and spontaneously despite the hardships and destitutions, which the Salh regime had been directing  against the city to destroy and suffocate the people of the city.

Taiz, the city of love, city of trading , city of education and educated people, city of revolution against tyrants, city of arts , city of history, city of everything beautiful which you will not be able to find in other cites across the country.

The city is an ancient center of trade, cradled by high green mountain slopes where coffee grows. It is just northeast of the ancient Red Sea port of Mokha, for which the coffee drink is named, and the relative cosmopolitanism of its merchant classes helped dissolve the power of the tribes long ago. The area is known to Yemenis as balad al aish — the country of living — in contrast with the north, which is called balad al jaish, or the country of the army. It has always been vulnerable to raids by tribesmen from the arid northern mountains. Taiz was once an attractive city, but it is now battered and decayed, even by the standards of Yemen.

Ultimately, Taiz is not only a common city but it is the greatest among the rest. Peace, understanding, concord among people are overwhelming the city due to the cultural background that community of Taiz marked by.

Locked-in and left to starve by their own father – the story of 3 children recently freed by SEYAJ

Written by: Basheer al Selwi

Article Date: Sep 7, 2009

A smile has returned to the cheeks of Salh and his two sisters Afnan and Kheuam after enduring 8 days of detention in their own home in Darawan, imprisoned by their father. SEYAJ, an organization for child protection, reported that the father, Abdu Abdullah al-Dhobhany had locked his three children in and traveled to Taiz. SEYAJ and local security intervened to release the three children.

YemenNews were initially informed by Mr. Anees al-Jahlanee, a local security officer, of the situation. Their editor, Hamad Dabwan, then accompanied the chairman of SAYEJ, Ahmed Al-Karshee to the house where the children had been kept captive.

Salih, Afnan, and Kheuam – 5, 3 and 7 years-old respectively – are the children of a husband divorced from his wife and a father lacking the basic human instincts of care and compassion. An elderly neighbor by the name of Fatima related the story of their confinement to YemenNews: her children had gone to play with the Al-Dhobhany's children at their home outside the village. Upon arrival however, they found their three playmates locked in separate rooms, screaming for help, food and release. Fatima's children ran back to her begging her to give food to the three helpless prisoners who had already been locked in the house for a couple of days.

Fatima herself however, is not entirely blameless in this fiasco. Having found out about the confined children and despite providing them with a few essentials in terms of food passed through tiny windows, she refused to allow carpenters from a local shop to break the locks. The reason behind this is that al-Dhobhany's house was actually her property which he rented from her.

Fatima explained to the YemenNews, “I do not know exactly how long these children remained locked in their father's house after this, all I know is that when my children came and told me of their misfortune, I at once agreed to provide them with some food."

But Fatima's husband, around 60 years of age, is disgusted with the behavior of al-Dhobhany and claims that he no longer wants him residing in his property.

However, before the authorities could catch al-Dhobhany red-handed or pre-empt his return from Taiz, he had rushed back home and restored everything to an apparently normal state. Therefore by the time that the head of SEYAJ, the editor of YemenNews, and the deputy director of Darawan security arrived, nothing suggested the previous acts of cruelty that had happened there. The only lingering suspicion was to be found with the equally-lingering smell of urine and waste which had intensified over the last 8 days.

Given a chance to explain himself and his appalling lack of compassion for his own children, al-Dhobhany claims that he had received an urgent call from his village in Taiz saying his mother was very sick in hospital and that he should visit her. He told YemenNews that he left his children some biscuits, fruits and drinks. As for locking all the house doors, al-Dhobhany explains that one day he had left his children without doing so, only to return and find his daughter Khuame injured from an accident in the street outside in which she had broken both her legs. Locking the doors was therefore merely a precaution against worse evils he said.

When pressed for the logic behind locking his children in separate rooms, al-Dhobhany alleges that his son used to beat his sisters, so he thought it best to isolate him from them.

Director of the police station in Darawan, Ali Hameed al-Hube, confirmed that all complaints and information received by his police force are shared with human rights organizations in the area and all concerned sheiks.

He added that a complaint had initially been received after six days of the children's confinement, from a source who refused to give his name but claimed that al-Dhobhany was traveling with his new wife in Taiz.

The director of security in the area, Mofathal Al-Masree, was informed, and authorities were dispatched to break the locks and free the children. Despite a veil of normalcy shrouding the house upon their arrival, al-Dhobhany was taken in for questioning, while his three children have since been staying at their aunt's.

The SEYAJ organization for child protection has spoken out against this appalling lack of respect for children, calling al-Dhobhany's actions a crime against the rights of childhood. Ahmed al-Kershee, the president of SEYAJ, issued a statement to YemenNews in which he demanded that al-Dhobhany be awarded the maximum sentence and that his punishment reflect that to which he subjected his children.

EARLY MARRIAGE AND ITS TOLL ON THE INDIVIDUAL, THE FAMILY, AND THE SOCIETY

Written by Basheer al-Selwi

“I’ve become lonely in this life, and no one remains to support me and my children in order to keep on living.” This is the voice of Basma Salah, a 19-year old divorcee. “I have three children and my relatives constantly chide me, ‘Give those little children back to their father!’ She adds, ‘I cannot bear to see my children without me, as they are still very young. They need me due to the fact that they are not able to rely on themselves,”

Basma is just one victim among many Yemeni children who are subject to early marriages.

Basma’s tragic story resulted from early marriage due to the fact that her father, who passed away when she was around 6, was not present in her life. Basma was married when she was around 12 to a boy of around 14 under pressure from her mother. After two months of marriage, they started quarreling with each other and neither could bear to be with the other. However, because of her difficult economic circumstances, she was determined to keep living with her husband due to the fact that she had no one to resort to when in need; only her mother who lives with her step-father.

“The main cause for my wretchedness is my mother. Why did she not prevent this from happing? My friends and all of the women in the village are always telling me

that they advised my mother against such things, but she refused because the father of the boy I was to marry possessed great financial resources. At the time, I was only a child, I did not know what was best for me. Nevertheless, I don’t think I would have married him if it wasn’t for my mother encouraging it,” said Basma.

Basma lived with her husband for seven years until the age of 19. “The first time I became pregnant was when I was 12 years old. Every time I was pregnant I could not even walk by myself. Moreover, when I went to the doctor for a health check-up, the doctor was always furious with my husband and my mother, saying that I would not be able to deliver the baby,” Basma said.

When she found that she could not tolerate living with her husband any more because of his neglect, she demanded his respect and for him to fulfill his duties to her and the house as whole, otherwise, she would go to her mother’s house. Yet when she went to her mother’s house, her husband took advantage of her absence and divorced her immediately without showing any care or concern for her or their children.

Basma went on to say, “After our marriage, he was always saying that he would re-marry again, but all the time I forced myself to remain silent in order to avoid quarreling with him. I never felt that he loved me, in all of my time living with him. The whole time all he said was that he was a child and that his father had forced him to marry me”

Now, Basma is living alone in house which has no windows, no electricity, and a roof on the verge of collapse. Her uncles have refused to embrace her children, telling her that they would accept her alone to live with them, only if she abandons her children and returns them to their father.

“Why do my relatives want me to abandon my children? Yes, I am young, but I became a mother of two children and it is my responsibility to care for them completely. Where were they when my mother decided to marry me off? Why didn’t they stop her? I am a mother, I cannot leave them and I will not do so until God himself separates us,” Basma added.

Basma is 19 years old, but her face tells a different story. Time, people, society, and her mother, every one of them has taken its toll causing wrinkles on her face and making her appear an old woman.

She concluded, “All of my girlfriends were married when they matured. Every one of them is beginning a new story, while my story will come to an end very soon.”

Aman Organization launches 2nd festival for blind females

Written By: Basheer al-Selwi

Article Date: Aug 4, 2009 - 12:26:20 PM

Six-hundred disabled people marched together from al-Tahrir square to al-Sabeen square to raise awareness about their rights.

The Aman organization inaugurates its second festival for blind women in Yemen, which started on July 27, 2009 will go on until June 5, 2010. The Deputy Minister of Information , Ahmed Al-Homatee, attended the opening of the celebration and strongly requested Yemeni society to sympathize with the needs and expectations of the blind community and translate it into reality.

The minister described blind women as butterflies of heaven and exhorted all of Yemeni society to deal with and look at them with merciful eyes.

The head of the Aman Organization for Blind Families, Fatima al-Akel, expressed her gratitude to all businessmen for their constant help and support of blind women.

Furthermore, she emphasized the need of the society to hear the voice of handicapped women.

Leza al-Kore, the manager of media for the Aman Organization, talked about the importance of media in all its aspects including television, newspapers, internet, and radio in supporting and advocating the rights of disabled people in order to integrate them into the society as healthy individuals.

The festival, which is titled, “Our Rights: Between Reality and Inspiration,” started on Monday, July 27th with a workshop addressing the role of media in working towards solutions for the issues facing disabled people. Through the workshop, Abdua Shareem discussed local and international treaties and legislations which advocate for the rights of disabled people.

According to Smah Shahran, manager of public relations, summer centers are intended to introduce the organization and its services for blind women. She added that the organization is working according to the national and international laws and legislations which actually protect disabled people and their rights. We visited around 22 Centers in Sana’a so far.

Advocacy demonstration

Six hundred disabled people, representing many different disabilities, participated in an advocacy demonstration which started from al-Tahrir Square and ended at al-Sabeen Square.

In al-Sabeen Square, a number of plays were performed which aimed to increase awareness about the rights of the disabled and to educate people about the applicable laws and legislations that refer to disabled people.

Number of depressed young Yemenis is increasing

Bashir Al-Selwi For The Yemen Times Published:28-08-2008 “I’m in a dark tunnel alone. No one can imagine what happens to me every day,” describes 23-year-old Sana’a University student Khader Al-Selwi, who was diagnosed with depression five years ago. “I can’t work and I dislike living anymore. I hope to die today before tomorrow because it’s better than living without any hope in this life. Someday, I’ll kill my self and terminate my life and pain,” he adds. Al-Selwi is among many young Yemenis who are subject to depression. Yemeni doctors confirm the increased number of Yemenis afflicted with depression, calling for rapid solutions, saying that depression has become a serious and widespread problem among Yemenis due to the country’s economic and social situations. Dr. Fikri Al-Naib, a consulting psychiatrist and medical director at Al-Amal Psychiatric Hospital, confirms that depression mostly appears in those between ages 18 and 40. They may exhibit such symptoms as evident sadness, anxiousness, depression, tiredness, fatigue, everything seemingly is an effort, slowed movements, walking during the night or too early in the morning, oversleeping or trouble getting to sleep, slow thinking, poor concentration, forgetfulness or indecisiveness, loss of interest in food, work and/or sex, life seems dull, a reduced sense of self-worth, low self-esteem or guilt, headaches, chest or other pains with no physical basis, not wanting to live and suicidal thoughts or thinking about death. Depression is a condition that can take many forms aside from the short-lived feelings of sadness that most people experience in response to the disappointments of everyday life. “A feeling of farness and feeling like someone is extracting my soul from my body. I sometimes feel like I’ll collapse on the street,” 24-year-old Salim Naji says, describing some of the symptoms he feels during a fit of depression. He went on to say that the tiredness he feels sometimes forces him to sleep on the streets. “I sometimes sleep on the street or I can’t sleep at all at night because I’m in a bad mood all of the time. Most of the time, I feel like something is going to swallow me and then I start screaming, ‘Help me! Help me!’” he said. Dr. Al-Naib points out that, “Qat somehow plays role in increasing depression among Yemeni youths, especially those who chew qat constantly. Nevertheless, there are no studies in Yemen proving the relationship between qat and depression.” Fellow Al-Amal Hospital psychologist Khalid Al-Shamiri explains that qat improves and relieves moods temporarily as the chewer begins to feel happy and seemingly has the ability to solve problems and establish his own projects and future plans. However, by the end of the qat session, some areas of the brain become lethargic and the body starts losing its vitality and power. In this stage, the qat chewer starts to feel bad and upset and can’t communicate with others because the respiratory and cardiac centers in the brain’s medulla are affected, which eventually could render the chewer comatose. Al-Naib notes that the causes of depression among Yemenis are poor financial circumstances and unemployment. Dr. Najla’a Al-Afif, a psychotherapist at Al-Azal Hospital, adds that lack of communication among family members can be another reason behind the increasing cases of depression among young Yemenis. Referring to scientific studies and research, Al-Naib says females generally tend more toward depression than males. “Yemeni women are more exposed to social stress; for instance, domestic violence or an inability to study or work unless a male relative approves, in addition to some medications – like contraception pills – which can cause depression as a side effect,” he explains. Although gender does play an important role in diagnosing depression, Al-Naib points out that it doesn’t affect treatment for depression as much as the individual’s acceptance of taking medication and the prescribed time period for that. He further notes that there are no statistics estimating depression rates among Yemenis, but doctors maintain that female Yemenis experience more depression symptoms than males. “Based on our experiences, we estimate that 15 percent of young male Yemenis and 20 percent of young females are afflicted by depression, meaning that 1 in 5 Yemeni females suffers from depression,” Al-Naib asserts. Most depressed individuals also experience physical symptoms, such as chest, back and/or joint pain. “If someone starts to complain about any type of pain, parents or relatives immediately should send him or her to see a doctor,” Al-Naib says, speaking about the late stages of depression among many patients who visit or see a psychologist only after depression has taken over their minds and reached a high level. “People don’t believe in psychological problems, instead preferring to go to a magician rather than a psychological doctor,” he added. Al-Naib also highlights the fact that there is an inadequate number of psychiatric hospitals in Yemen because there are no laws forcing hospitals to open departments for psychological treatment or diagnosis. “Therefore, this puts pressure on specialist hospitals in this field, but we can’t take all patients due to a shortage of beds.” Dr. Al-Afif emphasizes that depression can be cured, “However if we ignore it, it may lead patients to kill themselves, as more than 15 percent of patients suffering depression kill themselves. But gloom rarely causes patients to become insane.” She warns that depressed individuals are more susceptible to serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, blood pressure and colds due to weakness of their immune system during periods of depression. Al-Afif believes the Yemeni government should establish psychological units at every school to diagnose and deal with students’ psychological problems from the beginning. “Doing so would yield many good results by reducing future depression rates among youths.” She concludes, “Depression affects our national economy because it attacks society’s productive segment, thereby creating economic problems.”

Summer center learning programs offer nothing more than boring subjects

Written By: Basheer al-Selwi

Article Date: Aug 4, 2009 - 2:18:30 PM
After three months of teaching and training at centers across the republic, we and all of the other students in the country were released from summer center programs. There is a question, however, which is on the minds of everyone concerned; what have they done for increasing wariness and knowledge among students?

Despite plentiful government funding, students still sit on the ground without chairs or desks.

The government spends a lot of money from the budget to supply teachers, buildings, and all of the tools that the centers need. Nevertheless, do summer centers achieve the goal and the main target in increasing the rate of student knowledge?
It seems that summer centers fail to attract students because most of the students reject going to the centers due to the fact that the programs offered are boring and not helping them to cultivate their minds. This fact can be seen in the low enrollment numbers witnessed at centers countrywide.
In most of the summer centers, students sit on the ground without chairs or desks. Most of the students in attendance confirmed that summer centers are merely places for playing games and killing time.
“I come here just to meet my friends because my father dislikes me going to meet them in the street. Here is the only chance for us to play and do whatever we like. Moreover, teachers really dislike teaching us, and they just walk around the center.” Ali Al-Harazee, a 14-year-old boy expressed.
“One of the main reasons that summer centers fail to attract students is the kinds of programs they offer. Most summer centers restrict themselves to one subject such as Qur’an recitation. Sure, keeping Qur’an is a good thing for children and students, but they have to provide and not forget about the other subjects such as drawing, singing, computers, music, and writing skills, among others,” Mohammed Maweua, a teacher, has commented.
Most of the heads of these centers are censuring the government by saying that the government does not offer them the basic needs such as, computers, drawing paper, and pens. Furthermore, they justify their failure due to the fact that most of the students are working during summer vacation.
A lot of students have spilt away from summer centers because of the boring programs that summer centers offer them.“Actually, we sit in class like statues and don’t do anything other than memorizing, listing, and reciting. This situation is certainly miserable, and we can not bear it, so I decided to leave the center,” Zaid Amar a 10-year-old student at al-Zahra Summer Center said.
Amar concluded, “All that the teachers do is sit around, never making us happy. I hate summer center, and I will never go that place again.”
Amar is just one student from thousands of students who have given up their studies in summer centers.In conclusion, what are the benefits of such centers if they cannot offer at least something to benefit the society and education?

Practice of puncturing boys’ ears in some Yemeni regions is disputed

Date: Aug 4, 2009 - 1:39:49 PM

Written By: Basheer al-Selwi

In Yemeni culture, there are a lot of myths. Some, we have knowledge of, and others we do not. People in Yemen have been keeping certain traditions for a long time. Traditions that are distinctive from one territory to another. One of these traditions is puncturing the ears of young boys, soon after they are born.

In some Yemeni regions, there is a myth that says: if your sons are dying, you can prevent their deaths by puncturing the ears of children immediately after they born.

“All of my sons were dying at some time after their births. One day, my neighbor told me to go to the sheikh of our village in order to seek his counsel regarding the causes of their ailments. When I arrived to meet him, I was completely surprised to hear him say that I need to puncture the ears of my boys. He told me to exercise this practice for the boys in order to avoid their deaths,” Fatima Kalb, a mother of five children expressed.

She went on to say, “Three of my boys passed away before going to the sheikh of our village, but after starting to practice his advice for all of my children afterward, particularly boys, none of them have died since.”

She went on to say, “After taking his advice, I have three boys, all of whom are older than twenty-two years.”

Some Yemenis believe strongly in the fact that puncturing the ears of boys will save them from death, most of the time. Actually, this practice is seen in a few regions around the country such as in Taiz, Ibb, and Lahj.

“In our village there is a myth that says, if you puncture the ears of your children, especially boys, they will be very lucky and rich in the future. Many of the families in our village are performing such ceremonies for their boys,” Fausal Naseer has expressed.

He confirmed that, in his village, they have a professional in this field. He has been performing such ceremonies for more than 13 years to children immediately after birth, or sometime close to one week after birth. His tools are merely a needle and white fiber. He uses the needle to puncture the ear of the child, and the white fiber to put into the hole in the ear.

He concluded, “During the practice of such a ceremony, the woman or the man who punctures the ears of the child also reads verses from the Qur’an in order to scatter any evil spirits. They believe that evil spirits try to violate such ceremonies. We pay the person who performs the service about one thousand Yemeni rials.”

Most people who are accustomed to such ceremonies and practices are the elders. They are pushing strongly in order to keep this tradition, advising their sons and the new generation to keep practicing such ceremonies for their children.

“Actually, until I was 14 years old, I did know at all why my father punctured my ear. Moreover, I did not know that my ear was punctured. Most of my friends joked with me, saying that my parents thought I was a girl, so they punctured one ear for me. When they realized that I was a boy, they decided to stop and leave the other ear alone.” Kater al-Hammade said.

Al-Hammade confirmed that he has three brothers, all of whom experienced the puncturing ceremony. My father says that we will be lucky and rich in the future, but I am neither rich nor lucky, currently.

He concluded, “Due to my strong conviction, I do not believe in such practices and ceremonies. I try to convince my father by telling him that this practice is unreal. The problem here is this: my father wants to apply this practice even to his grandsons and granddaughters. This practice actually raises conflict between my father and my brothers because all of my brothers refuse to believe in such practices, and they disapprove of practicing such things on their children.

In Taiz, Ibb, and Lahj, the ceremony is only practiced by a few families. Such things encounter strong resistance and neglect by the new generation, especially the youth. Most young parents, including fathers and mothers, are refusing to perform this tradition on their children because they see it to be nothing more than a myth. They are also censuring the practice because it is a kind of false anticipation about the future of a person, which God in heaven only knows.

This practice takes only a few minutes when it is performed. Most of the boys who lived through this ceremony are now expressing their doubts about this kind of tradition. Nevertheless, they feel normal, and they are not discriminated against for having punctured ears.

“I am sure that this ceremony does nothing for the person and that it never affects your future. Puncturing your ear will not make you a rich man or a lucky person; all of this is merely a myth, and I do not believe in myths. Although a lot of people come to me and say “Your ear is punctured”, I never become annoyed about being this way because I feel that it is normal,” Osama Ali said.

Some of the families in Yemen are practicing such a tradition in order to be distinct from other families.

“In my family, my grandmother used to puncture our ears immediately after birth, and did not wait for a week to pass. When a grandchild of hers is born, she immediately takes a sharp needle and punctures the ear of the boy,” Mohammed Al-Khobary, an English teacher at the Youth Leadership Development Foundation expressed.

According to al-Khobary, this tradition is practiced in his family by the elders due to the fact they believe strongly that puncturing the ears of boys will protect them from evil eyes, evil spirits, and keep them away from any harm in the future.

He concluded, “My family believes strongly in this ceremony because puncturing our ears will make us distinctive people in our village. Anyone in our area can recognize me and my family due to our ears being punctured. When people in my area see me, even if they do not know me, they say immediately, “You are from al-Khobry Family”.

Ramadan: a time of relaxation for Yemeni youth

Written By: Basheer Al-Selwi

Boys are more likely to spend their time watching t.v and chewing qat, whereas girls are likely to to spend their time sleeping and reading.

Most Yemeni youth can hardly wait for the advent of Ramadan because it is the month where everything is different and life takes on a special flavor, especially during the nights of Ramadan. Their lives are completely different in comparison with all the other months of the year. Yemeni youth can spend large amounts of their day in various activities that differ from one individual to another.

Watching television, sleeping, chewing qat, and eating food are the cornerstones of a youth’s ideal day—a day which they can spend in perfect enjoyment.

A survey of 13 students, between the ages of 19 and 24, at Sana’a University, revealed that they spend their entire day engaged in either watching television, sleeping, chewing qat, or eating food.

Most students justify spending their time this way by saying that they have nothing else to do and have to do these things in order to avoid getting bored and depressed at home.

“Actually, watching TV is my favorite thing to do in Ramadan because the programing for the month includes movies, competitions, and series that are really hard to resist. I watch TV from 7:30 in the evening until 2:00 in the morning. Furthermore, if I had more time, I would keep on watching until the morning,” said Shuma’a Yahay Issa, an Islamic literature student at Sana’a University.

Issa said that she doesn’t spend any time, particularly during Ramadan, chewing qat because she strongly believes in the risks of qat and its effects on the body. She added that she spends more than 9 hours sleeping every day because she has nothing to study during Ramadan.

The way youth spend their time in Ramadan differs between genders. While boys spend most of their time chewing qat and watching television, girls spend most of their time sleeping. Interviewing girls at Sana’a University emphasized that they don’t spend any time chewing qat because they aren’t addicted to qat. Moreover, they have a number of other things to complete instead of chewing qat such as reading cultural books and memorizing the holy Koran.

“In Ramadan, I watch TV for just two hours because I spend most of my time reading and memorizing the holy Koran in order to make the most of this month to worship God and be closer to him,” said Eman al-Daulamee, a student of Arabic language at Sana’a University.

Another student, Fatima, said that she sleeps more than 10 hours in Ramadan because she doesn’t have any duties to accomplish. Furthermore, she attributes her excessive sleeping to the fact that she has 4 sisters at home, and they do all the housework on her behalf. Consequently, she has no obligations that she has to attend to besides sleeping.

Male students, however, spend more of their time in qat chewing sessions, especially during Ramadan. They justify this habit under the pretext that there are no libraries or clubs that they can go to. They also claim that they chew qat during Ramadan just to kill time.

Most youths stated that they spend more than 10 hours a day watching television and chewing qat, because whenever they chew qat, they watch TV.

“In Ramadan I spend more than 9 hours a day watching TV because I love the TV programs, especially on the al-Saeeda, MBC, and Fox movie channels. Actually, in Ramadan, I am not prepared to leave any program without watching it,” said Abdullah Ali, student of French literature at Sana’a university.

Abdullah said that he thinks that everybody watches more than 7 hours of TV every day during Ramadan since all the channels air extremely interesting and incredible shows.

“Before Ramadan’s advent, I try hard to research all the program show times that are going to be aired on the different channels. Moreover, I try to organize all of my time by making a schedule that allows me to see all the series and movies up to the end of Ramadan,” Abdullah said. He added, “in Ramadan, I try to take complete advantage of this month because I’m not free in the other months of the year. Also, channels don’t show interesting programs like they do during Ramadan. Furthermore, I have to study during all the other months, Ramadan is the only opportunity I have to watch TV.”

Osama al-Serfy, a student in the French department at Sana’a University explained why he watches television. “In Ramadan, I watch around 7 hours of TV because I have no place to go, and even if you go to visit friends, you will find them together with their families, so I stay home. Furthermore, staying at home is miserable, so TV is the best means of entertainment and source of enjoyment.” Al-Serfy continued, “we are young, where can we go to spend our time in Sana’a? There are no places for reading or entertainment, or even to sit and talk with your friends. In addition, Sana’a lacks libraries movie theaters, playhouses, gardens and clubs, so TV is the last hope we can clutch to.”

Regarding sleeping, according to the students interviewed, female students spend more time sleeping than male students. The majority of female students sleep around 7 to 9 hours a day, while the majority of male students only sleep around 6 to 7 hours.

“I sleep between 6 to 7 hours daily during Ramadan because after I spend those hours sleeping I feel satisfied and get up immediately. Actually, this is also the amount that I sleep during the rest of the year,” said Basam Radman, another student in the French department at Sana’a university.

Abdo al-Hakeem Abdo Nasher, who also studies in the French department said that he spends around 7 hours sleeping during Ramadan. Furthermore, he doesn’t consider this amount enough; “I can’t sleep in Ramadan because I’m the only male in my family, and I have to provide our home with all our needs.” He considers 7 hours insufficient for him because he stays awake the rest of the day without sleeping.

Lula Absi, an English literature graduate from Sana’a university says, “I sleep around 9 hours a day during Ramadan because sleeping that long helps me to not become hungry.” According to Absi, she does not sleep this long in other months because she is a teacher and has educational obligations. “During the holy month, I want to take the opportunity to relax and recover from all the stress that I face the rest of the year.”

Latifa Ahmed, from the History department in Sana’a University said that she sleeps in Ramadan more than 8 hours a day and that even this isn’t adequate. “Fasting really makes me yearn to eat, so I evade this hunger by sleeping for long periods of time,” she explained. Latifa believes that when people sleep a lot, they are trying to avoid the effects of hunger and any stomach pain.

Both boys and girls spend about the same amount of time eating during Ramadan: approximately one hour. Mohammed al-Areeqi, a student of French literature, confirmed that the time he spends eating food doesn’t exceed an hour. “Eating doesn’t cost me much time during Ramadan because I only eat a few dates and some fruit,” al-Areeqi said. He added that if he were to eat for more than an hour, he would expose himself to stomach problems or pain, something which he doesn’t want or need.

Youth for change launches knowledge sharing event

Written By: Basheer al-SelwiArticle Date: Oct 18, 2010 - 4:18:56 PM

At Ebhar Foundation for Childhood and Creativity, 7 September 2010, Develop

ment House Organization in collaboration with Bibliotheca Alexandrina and TakingItGlobal have conducted a workshop to exhibit projects and experience of some successful youth especially those who have gotten the grants from Youth for Change in Yemen in the following governorate of Sana’a, Aden, and Taiz. During this workshop, the youth exhibited and explained their success and difficulties they encountered during implementing their projects.

Pointed that part of the workshop which titled on “Youth for Change Knowledge Sharing Event” was specified for discussing the role of young youth in social participation. Further Mr. Fathi al-Dhafri facilitated and led this workshop and gave participants some information and background about Youth for change. Moreover, around 30 educated and activist young people attended this workshop “ we conducted this workshop to benefit others especially those who are working efficiently within communities In how to learn some lessons for the experiment and experiences of some successful young people who contribute some good notions help in change our society to better living conditions” Fathi al-Dafri pointed out .

It worth mentioning that Development House (DH) was founded and led by youth expert to respond to civil society needs for supporting organization capacity building and promoting resources and opportunities. HD providing training and consultation services through plenty of training programs, which respond to the needs of the civil society and strengthen its role. Furthermore, DH considers itself the first organization which specialized in New Media “Web 2.0” in Yemen. Further, HD aims to be the pioneer empowering organization to play their role “our organization is aiming to contribute for the social change which serives the society in the end” Fathi al-Dafri has explained.

The “Youth for Change” program aims at inspiring, informing and involving Arab Youth to be Agents of Change in their communities. The phase II of this program focuses on the theme: Global Youth Culture and Participation and was launched in December 2009, through a partnership between TakingITGlobal and Bibliotheca Alexandrina with local organizations in the MENA region. The program aims at encouraging cross cultural dialogue and supporting youth-led development through local projects in 14 priority countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen.

The success of the pilot phase in 2008 demonstrated that much more can be done to support Arab youth to be Agents of Change in their communities, as well as to bring their voices to a global audience; hence the need for this second phase which includes the following components:

Facilitating ongoing cross-cultural dialogue through the use of online community tools and spaces provided by TakingITGlobal and the Info Mall. Organizing interactive live chats to encourage discussion among the program participants. Conducting a Panorama and Global Gallery contest on the theme “Global Youth Culture”. Supporting youth-led action projects through providing mini-grants and a project management e-course that leverages the materials and methodology of the TakingITGlobal Sprout e-course. Organizing knowledge-sharing events to showcase mini-grant winners local projects in cooperation with host organizations in their countries.

Awarding scholarships to potential mini-grant winners to attend the Fifth Arab Youth Forum in Alexandria, Egypt in February 2010 to present their project ideas and share experiences. Providing scholarships to selected award winners to attend the World Youth Congress 2010 to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in order to receive additional support, training and access to international networks focused on supporting youth-led development.

Qat chewing among Yemeni children needs to be stopped

Written By: Basheer Al-Selwi

Article Date: Aug 18, 2009 - 4:35:56 AM

I can’t sleep, and sometimes I stay awake all night from the pain I endure in my teeth. Doctors are always telling me that Qat is one of the main causes responsible for the ruin of my teeth,” said Abdullah Ismaeel, 12 years old.

Abdullah usually visits the dentist to care for his teeth, which have been destroyed by chewing Qat. The latest report by Abdullah’s doctor confirms that he needs two root

canals performed, while his other teeth also have problems which will require treatment of a different nature.

Abdullah said, “I have been chewing Qat for 3 years now as a result of initially accompanying my father to Qat sessions. My father gives me Qat all of the time, thinking that chewing it will make me a stronger man.”

According to Abdullah, he is unable to eat any solid foods, even meat, because

of the pain that comes while chewing. “When I go out with my friends I cannot enjoy myself as much as they do, nor eat as freely as they do, because I’m constantly aware of my aching teeth” he said.

He concluded, “I cannot blame anyone in this world other than my father since he is the one who encouraged me to chew Qat initially. Instead of preventing me from chewing, he taught me with strong persistence to chew Qat. Now, I have become a burden for both him and myself.

Abdullah is only one victim among many Yemeni children who chew Qat and experience negative side effects.

Yemeni doctors verify the increased number of Yemeni children chewing Qat, calling for rapid and fast solutions, and saying that chewing Qat among children, especially boys, has become a serious and extensive problem. This is due in part to the social situation and the widespread illiteracy among Yemeni parents, especially fathers. They also confirm that chewing Qat is increasing dramatically among children, specifically, those between the ages of 9-15.

The effects of Qat are dangerous to all people, particularly children because they are more likely to suffer from diseases related to Qat such as cancer in the oral-dental tissue and diabetes mellitus, among others. This is because children’s immune systems are weaker than adults.

Since Qat use is widespread and often persists throughout children’s lives, especially those between 9-17 years old, there have been no studies conducted on the toxicological aspect of habitual Qat usage among children.

“Qat chewing, especially among children, causes lesions to the support structures of the teeth, namely gingivitis, periodontal pocket formation, gingival recession, tooth mobility, and tooth mortality. Qat chewing, particularly among children, causes cracking and pain in the jaw, and leads to attrition and staining of the teeth and cervical decay particularly among crystallized sugar consumers as well,” according to Doctor Osama, Dentist at al-Noor Medical Center.

According to Doctor Osama, Qat chewing results in mouth dryness and inflammation of salivary glands. Qat chewing also causes obvious facial asymmetry, and for this reason, children are more likely to be exposed to problems.

“In the past 3 years of my work here, a lot of children are coming to me suffering from obvious symptoms such as gingival recession, attrition, staining of teeth and cervical caries, and inflammation of the gums. In most of these cases I usually discover later that children with these symptoms chew Qat regularly,” Osama asserted.

Despite the fact that Qat chewing is spreading rapidly among Yemeni children, there are no studies or statistics that clearly state the number of Yemeni children who are chewing.

“I chew Qat every day. My father gives me an adequate amount of money to go to the Qat souk and buy whatever I need. Every day I get YR 1000 due to the fact that my father has plenty of money and runs a store on Kholan Street,” 13-year-old Talal Mohammed al-Selwi expressed

Al-Selwi claimed, “I will not stop chewing Qat because it is the best thing in my life, irrespective of its dangers.”

Yemeni Doctors confirm that Qat affects children’s bodies and makes them more likely to suffer from different diseases such as loss of appetite and stunted growth.

“Chewers of Qat, both children and adults, often complain of the same symptoms due to the fact that Qat has identical affects regardless of age. Children however, are more likely to be exposed to risks because they have a weaker immune system than a strong adult,” Dr. Aida Ali Haidar al-Maktari, a paediatric specialist, said.

Al-Maktari confirmed that Qat chewers, especially children between 9-17 years old, often complain of symptoms suggestive of inflammation of the mouth (stomatitis), oesophagitis, and gastritis. These effects were believed to be caused mainly by the strongly astringent tannins in Qat.

Recent evidence has shown that Qat chewing, specifically among children, delays digestion of a semi-solid meal, probably a result of the action of cathinone in Qat. Prolonged digestion may contribute to an increased chance of heartburn and acid regurgitation, and to an increased risk of Barrett’s oesophagus, a pre-cancerous condition. Loss of appetite frequently follows a Qat session, and chewers seldom eat a further main meal the same day. This anorectic factor may be attributed to combined direct central and gastric effects of cathinone in fresh Qat leaves, which causes the consumer to suffer from severe appetite loss.

The liver was suspected by many authors to be particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of Qat, disturbance in liver function and architecture has been described in experiments conducted on animals both in the short and long-term when fed Catha leaves.

“Qat makes children suffer from stunted growth because children lose their appetite when they chew Qat. Moreover, losing appetite and vitamins leads to more weight loss, which makes the body unable to grow,” al-Maktari commented.

“The solution for this problem rest on the shoulders of parents and relatives, who have a responsibility to prevent their children from chewing Qat. The media should take its role to increase awareness among children and society about the dangers of chewing Qat,” she added.

“Taking children to Qat sessions is not permissible according to the theory that children quickly acquire this bad habit from their parents, relatives, and parent’s friends, starting to imitate them,” al-Maktari concluded.

“Children who are allowed to chew Qat are more likely to learn bad behaviors from their elders due to the fact that a child between 8-17 will imitate others, especially older men,” Ali Mohmmad Kauad, a student of Social Sciences expressed.

According to Kauad, based on our observations, the Qat chewing phenomenon spreads quickly among children as can be perceived by anyone strolling round the gardens or the city.

Poverty plays a very important role in increasing the number of Yemeni children who chew Qat due to the fact that most of the poor families allow to their children to go out, leading them to indulge in relationships with other people already chew Qat. Kauad concluded, “Qat affects children’s level of knowledge because when children gather together for the sake of chewing, they waste their time on a trivia which makes them forget about their studies. Supervising and advising against such practices are the most common ways to keep the children away from Qat.”

Despite the warning of Yemeni doctors and social experts about the perils of Qat consumption among children, the government has never taken any practical steps to enact a law preventing the selling of Qat to children, especially those between 8-17 years old.