WUNRN
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51351#.VckIzq0w_mI
The news of the continuing Yemen conflict is full of attacks, weapons, destruction, victims, rights abuses; but for every story there are women behind the news, usually invisible, but trying to save their families from the trauma – mothers, wives, sisters, grandmothers, and young girls faced with uncertain futures, family survival, broken dreams.
Yemen - Women & Children Survival Risk – Massive
Humanitarian Crisis in Protracted Conflict/War
Photo via BBC
Acute water shortage
Photo
source: Rolling Stone
7 July 2015 – The United Nations human rights office is among
several key UN entities voicing deep concern over the worsening human rights
and humanitarian situation in Yemen that has more than 1,500 civilians dead,
3,600 injured and 1 million displaced in three months of violence.
Underscoring that civilians continued to bear the brunt of the
conflict, Cécile Pouilly, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) updated the press
in Geneva that between 17 June and 3 July, at least 92 civilians – including 18
women and 18 children – were killed with another 179 injured – including 43
women and 30 children. Since the conflict began, more than 1 million civilians
had been internally displaced or sought refuge in neighbouring countries.
“Since 17 June, coalition forces have continued aerial
bombardment and other attacks. Ground clashes, shelling, sniper fire and
detonation of improvised explosive devices have also been reported in different
governorates in Yemen,” she said.
Over the past few weeks, OHCHR documented rights violations and
abuses and violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the
conflict, including violations of the right to life, abduction, ill-treatment
and attacks against humanitarian workers, journalists and media organizations.
“Dozens of civilians have been abducted and subjected to
arbitrary detention in Sana'a. We have also received worrying reports that
local Popular Resistance committees affiliated with exiled President Abd Rabbo
Mansour Hadi have summarily executed at least six people perceived to be loyal
to the Houthi-Saleh coalition and committed acts of ill-treatment.”
Additionally, OHCHR has been closely monitoring attacks by the
conflict parties against UN offices, citing an airstrike on 28 June that
wounded one civilian and partially destroyed the UN Development Programme (UNDP) office in Khormaksar, Aden. The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) was struck twice, once by a
mortar in Basateen and again by an airstrike in Harad.
The UN rights office is also acutely worried about increasing
attacks against places of worship, pointing to the targeting of five Zaydi
mosques with car bombs over the past few weeks as an alarming trend to create
sectarian divisions.
“Since 17 June, there has been further destruction of civilian
infrastructure, with at least 36 buildings, including hospitals, schools, court
houses, power generation facilities and communications institutions partially
or totally damaged in the governorates of Sana'a, Aden, Taiz, Al-Jawf,
Al-Mahwit, and Hajjah,” said Ms. Pouilly said.
Humanitarian access also remains severely constrained by the
recent violence. Since the beginning of the conflict, land, air and maritime
restrictions have severely reduced imports – with food and other essentials
dropping significantly.
“We have also received reports of very serious constraints to
humanitarian access in Aden, Al-Dhali, Taiz and Lahj, where Houthi-affiliated
Popular Committees and armed forces units loyal to former President Ali Abdalla
Saleh have set up checkpoints controlling entry and exit of goods.” noted Ms.
Pouilly.
In addition to insecurity on the roads and blocked access to
food and clean water, civilians have been imposed with movement restrictions.
Yemen's healthcare system continues to deteriorate as medicine shortages,
essential medical supplies and fuel have reached critical levels.
“Once again,” Ms. Pouilly stressed, “we urge all sides of the
conflict to ensure that international human rights law and international
humanitarian law are respected, and to ensure that all feasible measures are
taken to protect civilians. International humanitarian law imposes on parties
to a conflict the duty to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of
humanitarian relief for civilians in need. “
In response to a question on attacks against United Nations
offices, she called on all parties to respect the inviolability of UN premises,
in accordance with applicable international law protecting UN facilities,
including the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and associated
personnel.
At the same time, Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the Office of
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said that on
Saturday, 4 July, a rocket blasted a kindergarten in Aden, killing 12 refugees.
“Since the closure of schools across Yemen at the end of May,
schools and kindergartens were used to accommodate internally displaced
persons. Refugees and internally displaced families were among the most
vulnerable, and the UNHCR thus again called on all parties to allow unfettered
access for humanitarian aid,” he said.
Mr. Edwards added that there are some 250,000 refugees in Yemen,
whereas more than 46,000 persons had fled the country. At the same time, some
35,000 had crossed into Yemen from the Horn of Africa by boat since the
beginning of the year.
“Clearly, there is a massive humanitarian crisis…in Yemen,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), who said the UN's $1.6 billion dollar appeal is only partially funded. He explained however that no cash had been taken away from other operations because the Yemen relief appeal is underfunded.