While many governments around the world are taking measures to release women prisoners amid the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we followed with great sorrow the three shells that hit the women section in Taizz Central Prison, Southern Yemen, on Sunday, 5 April, killing seven women and one girl child, and wounding two other girls and four women.

This crime highlights what Yemeni women have been going through and the targeting they suffer from amid conflict, and the risks are higher on women prisoners, especially after the first case of Coronavirus and the high possibilities of its outbreak.

In Yemen prisons, many women prisoners of opinion, activists. women human rights defenders and women who have not been through fair trial and their detention conditions came as a consequence of the conflict. Usually, they are targeted with smear and incitement campaigns to end any compassion towards them.

The Beijing Platform for Action in its strategic objectives no. E1 and E3 on women and armed conflict states on measures to be taken by governments, regional and regional intergovernmental institutions in order to increase the participation of women in conflict resolution at decision-making levels and protect women living in situations of armed and other conflicts and to reduce the incidence of human rights abuses in conflict situations. This is one of the objectives that the Feminist Coalition for MENA Region Towards Beijing 25+ due to the severe violations that women suffer from in conflicts.

Within this framework, we call on governments, regional and international organizations and the civil society to put more effort and support the rights of Yemeni women including:

1.      Implement the measures listed in the objective of Beijing Platform of Action on women and armed conflict.

2.      Call to an immediate and full cease to the armed combat in Yemen and to allow for protective and preventive measures from Coronavirus.

3.      An immediate release to all women prisoners–who have not been involved in crimes of violence– in Yemen.

The Feminist Coalition for MENA Region Towards Beijing 25+