A new policy paper, “Towards Legal, Institutional, and Community-Based Protection Frameworks for Women in Yemen’s Civil Space,” developed under the SPARK Project, examines the growing use of hate speech, defamation, stigmatization, and online incitement against women human rights defenders, peacebuilders, journalists, and civil society activists in Yemen.
The paper finds that these attacks are not isolated incidents but part of a systematic effort to exclude women from public life, weaken civic space, and undermine peacebuilding efforts. It identifies legislative gaps, institutional weaknesses, and harmful social narratives as key drivers of the problem.
To address these challenges, the paper calls for comprehensive legal reforms, stronger protection mechanisms, and greater community engagement to ensure women can participate safely and meaningfully in public life.
Protecting women’s civic participation is not only a human rights imperative, it is essential for building sustainable peace and strengthening social cohesion in Yemen.
