Fake gold, sometimes preferable to the real stuff
Half of Yemenis have inadequate access to food
On Monday, the International Oxfam Organization published a report indicating that in the past twelve months, four out of five Yemeni women are experiencing a situation worse than before the 2011 political uprising.
Many men have sold their land and animals and taken their children out of school to work for money—resorting to any means necessary to provide the basic necessities to their families.
“The majority of fathers coerce their daughters into early marriages in addition to sending their sons to Saudi Arabia smuggling qat,” the report said.
Another recent report by the Social and Economic Development Researches Center suggests that half of Yemen is without enough food, and unemployment fluctuates from 50 to 60 percent.
The leader of the family, the report indicated, is unable to provide food or school essentials—let alone the daily expenses necessary to provide support.
“It is obligatory that some families resort to taking their children out of schools in order to search for work to help the family leader cover the home requirements. This makes a dangerous challenge for the family and students as well as augmenting social and economic burdens on the country.”
Naveed Hussein, a representative of the U.N. Refugee Agency, called on the international community to provide immediate aid for Yemen, warning against any delay. The delay, he said, will cause threats not only to the region but also to the entire international security and peace apparatus.
“Humanitarian aid for Yemen is important and emergent to prevent instability and the creation of further of tensions in the region,” Hussein told the Middle East News Agency in Brussels, asserting the importance of the unique geopolitical position of Yemen. Yemen has been facing several humanitarian, political and economic challenges, resulting in the current desperate situation of people, Hussein said.
With a population totaling 25 million, Yemen is the third most impoverished country in the world, according to Hussein.
More than 7.5 million people in Yemen suffer from food insecurity and malnourishment. In some areas, the level of malnourishment reaches that of Somalia, he said.
