On Tuesday, Sawt Foundation for Development signed a new partnership agreement with the Arab Women Center for Training and Research (CAWTAR), based in Tunisia, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation – Arab World Regional Office, focusing on the protection of rights and freedoms in Yemen — most notably the fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
This partnership came just days after Sawt Foundation’s short Yemeni film “Circumcision of the Soul” won a regional competition award on the theme of combating FGM.
Sawt’s Executive Director, Samed Al-Samie, stated that numerous human rights violations in Yemen have long gone unaddressed, and that now is the time to speak up, confront these issues, and work toward building awareness and mechanisms that can address their consequences and eradicate the cultural foundations that perpetuate them. “This is
essential for creating an environment in Yemen that can move beyond conflict and towards sustainable peace,” he said.
He added, “Yemen cannot move past conflict and war without ensuring the protection of rights and freedoms for all — especially putting an end to violations against the human rights of women and girls. These include their rights to health, freedom from violence, the right to life and physical safety, and protection from discrimination and degrading treatment.”
According to Al-Samie, Sawt Foundation is working on developing ideas for projects and activities focused on the issue of FGM in Yemen, as part of its broader efforts to build civil peace and contribute to moving beyond war and toward genuine peace — “a peace that cannot be possible or sustainable without disrupting the discriminatory culture that violates human rights
On behalf of CAWTAR’s media center, Hiyam Qa’loul spoke about the importance of expanding partnerships around the issue of FGM, uniting efforts to oppose this violation, exchanging experiences, and building on accumulated knowledge — especially in a region that suffers from a lack of data, statistics, and in-depth studies to confront a deeply rooted and rising phenomenon.
She added that two million additional FGM cases could occur over the next decade due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted global efforts to combat FGM and led to school closures. She warned that the progress made so far has been neither comprehensive nor fast enough, and that many countries remain stagnant. “At this pace, we will not reach the desired progress by 2030,” she said.
Qa’loul further emphasized the high cost of FGM and its repercussions, stating that according to UNICEF estimates, the healthcare costs associated with FGM reached around $428 million in 2019 in six Arab countries (Egypt, Djibouti, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, and Mauritania) — not to mention the psychological toll it takes on victims, which prevents many from actively participating in society on equal footing with others.
Note: Sawt Foundation is a non-profit civil organization that began its work in Yemen in 2010 and was officially registered in Hamburg, Germany, in 2019. Its mission is to develop the skills of Yemeni women and youth to enable their effective participation in cultural and media life, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. The foundation believes in diversity and difference and assumes its responsibility
toward individuals and the environment.
Sawt works collaboratively to address social, developmental, cultural, artistic, and medical issues by enhancing individual capacities, promoting women’s participation in public and political life, supporting cultural and artistic projects, linking these projects to media outputs, ensuring sustainability of available resources, and fostering partnerships.
Source: Al-Sharea Newspaper
