Progress Amid Resistance

556 WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAgender-based violence both inside and outside their homes, accordingto the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)and Yemeni authorities. The UNHCR estimated the number of refugeesas of February 4, 2009, to be 140,148, a third of whom were women. 22Refugee women, usually employed as domestic workers in urban areas, areat risk of serious exploitation, including poor working conditions, relativelylow pay, and sexual abuse. Moreover, some refugee women resort toprostitution and survival sex to support themselves and their dependents.“Survival sex” is a term used by UNHCR to describe a situation in whichfemale refugees are forced to sell themselves to survive.Women’s rights groups and civil society actors working to improve thestatus of women have often faced harassment, obstacles, and hostile socialattitudes. Shatha Mohammad Nasr, a prominent women’s rights activistand lawyer, met with insults and accusations that she was trying to disturbsocial customs when she represented Nojoud, the child bride in the 2008divorce case. Family members of her client launched such verbal attackseven within the courthouse. 23Yemeni NGOs have been active in fostering awareness of and combatingviolence against women. As a consequence of the Nojoud case,the Yemeni Network for Combating Violence against Women, knownas SHIMA, collaborated with the Higher Council for Motherhood andChildhood to organize a two-day workshop in the Yemeni parliamentin May 2009. The workshop, which was attended by Yemeni lawmakers,covered issues including FGM and the minimum age of marriage,and called for the amendment of laws that did not provide protectionto children. On another front, the SAF commissioned a study on honorcrimes and organized in May 2005 a panel discussion on the issue. Theresults of this effort were published in a document entitled Crimes ofHonor in Yemen. 24RecommendationsF The government should reform the Personal Status Law to bring it intocompliance with CEDAW; this should include amendments to Articles12, 15, 16, 40, and 58.F The parliament should approve the draft law setting the minimumage of marriage at 17, and the government should take appropriatemeasures to ensure that the law is properly implemented, especially inrural areas.