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The Voices of Yemeni Women in Media
Editorial on Yemen Times
"Sexual abuse, domestic violence, the female quota system for elections, reproductive health, maternal health and family planning issues are the main women's rights topics featured in the Yemeni media. However, other issues like sexual abuse inside of the family frame, domestic violence, rape inside of marriage and honor crimes get hardly any coverage at all.
"Luckily, the situation has been changing gradually as many reporters start to focus on the influence of war, poverty and injustice on women's development in Yemen. [...]
"Earlier this year, an eight-year-old girl named Nojoud was widely written about, portrayed as a victim of early marriage – a phenomenon that has existed for a long time and is widespread in Yemen.
"Nojoud went to a Sana'a judge by herself to ask for a divorce from her 30-year-old husband. Nojoud’s bravery attracted not just national and the international media attention, but also created grounds for discussion about early marriage among people worldwide.
"The international coverage focused on Nojoud not as individual incident, but as a case representative of Yemeni women's general status. Nojoud’s story was handled in a number of different ways: news, interview, investigation and opinion.
"Because of this intense media coverage, there was a huge debate over the Yemeni law that stipulates the minimum age of marriage. Currently, the minimum age of marriage is 15, but parents and guardians are allowed to overrule that based on their own discretion to judge whether or not their daughter or charge is "ready" for marriage.
"Though the media deals with certain themes related to women's issues, the character of "woman" is lacking in everyday stories and reports on topics like poverty, business and politics. Women are rarely interviewed for stories like these, and as a result the society assumes that they are not concerned or involved with these issues.
"This is where the media can play a significant role in raising awareness and shaping public opinion to make sure that women, who make up 49 percent of the population of Yemen, have their voices heard on all subjects.
"By allowing women to speak, decision makers are reminded that half of the population is female and consider this while making policies. [...]"
Source: Yemen Times (Yemen), October 2, 2008
Posted at: 2008-10-02
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