War in Yemen a 'disaster' for girls' education

ADEN -- Seven years of war in Yemen have had a direct negative impact on the country's education system, with girls in displacement camps faring the worst, officials and human rights activists in Yemen say.

The war, which began in September 2014 when the Houthis staged a coup in Sanaa, has pitted the Iran-backed group against the legitimate Yemeni government and the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which is supporting it.

In an October 11 post on Twitter, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the instability and displacement resulting from the conflict in Yemen have made it even harder for girls to continue their education.

It noted that 26% of the one million internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the hosting sites in Yemen are girls, and said they help their families cook, fetch water and take care of their siblings in the absence of their parents.

UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports indicate the number of children in Yemen facing disruptions to their education could rise to six million.

Girls most affected

Officials and human rights activists stressed the importance of ensuring girls' access to education inside and outside displacement camps, as well as making sure they are in a safe environment and receive food and health services.

"It is clear that the majority of girls in displacement camps have stopped attending school because of difficult conditions," said National Committee for the Investigation of Human Rights Violations spokeswoman Ishraq al-Maqtari.

Girls' education also has received scant attention from the authorities and from humanitarian organisations, she told Al-Mashareq.

"I visited three displacement camps in Marib, and found that many of the displaced girls have discontinued their studies because the authorities concerned with IDPs are not providing teaching necessities," she said.

Instead of going to school, the girls are preoccupied with helping their families obtain necessities, al-Maqtari said.

The provision of social rights-related services, such as health and education, also falls under the purview of humanitarian agencies, in addition to the provision of security and food, she stressed.

Some camps have "provided alternative spaces to be used as classrooms to continue the education process, for both male and female students", said Najeeb al-Saadi, who heads the government-run Executive Unit for IDPs.

But these efforts have been set back by "the direct shelling of the IDP camps by the Houthis with rockets and missiles and repeated waves of displacement".

The situation has particularly affected girls, many of whom have been unable to continue their schooling because educational funding is short and aid organisations are limiting their support to providing food and relief supplies, he said.

Among the displaced population, al-Saadi said, "many Yemeni women have become responsible for supporting their families, and girls have been deprived of education".

'A disaster for education'

Education is lacking in some camps but ongoing in others, such as al-Jufaina displacement camp in Marib province, said Sanaa Human Rights Office director general Fahmi al-Zubairi.

"In al-Jufaina, the camp administration has set up temporary classes to allow boys and girls to continue their education," he said.

Al-Zubairi said the massive influx of IDPs due to the spread of fighting in provinces neighbouring Marib has made it increasingly difficult for the local authority to provide alternative spaces for education.

He stressed the need for international organisations to provide the assistance required for the education of IDP children, such as setting up temporary classes and paying teachers' salaries.

"The war is a disaster for education," he said, accusing the Houthis of bringing the process to a halt in battle zones and provinces that have seen heavy fighting, such as al-Jawf, al-Bayda, Marib and al-Hodeidah.

The group also has laid land mines on public roads and farmland, "which prevent girls and students in general from returning to their schools", he said.