Yemeni women rising up

Opinion: April 1, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Afrah Nasser

Institute for War & Peace Reporting

SANAA, Yemen

Traditionally in Yemen, women are literally not allowed to raise their voices. Even calling out in the street to attract someone’s attention is considered unacceptable.

But in recent weeks, many women in the country have discovered their voice as they joined in the revolution that has not only swept the country but the region as well.

Women’s participation in this revolution started on a very small scale. There were only about 10 women in Sanaa’s Change Square when the pro-democracy protests started.

But with each day, their number grew as female protesters brought their sisters, cousins and friends to the demonstrations.

Most surprisingly, women protesters were treated with respect. Usually, women in Yemen can expect to be harassed, but Change Square proved to be the safest place in the country for women.

The idea of political participation is still alien to many women here. Despite this, female protesters have come from all sectors of society — women like me who do not cover their faces and others who are much more conservative.

We are all coming to an awareness that we have to be a part of building this country. We are gaining in confidence and beginning to realize that we have a voice, a place in this new society — something that has never happened before.

Parental resistance

It’s a revolution not just against a political leader but also against a generation that long felt it was acceptable to repress women. Many young women like myself face resistance from our parents, who demand to know why we think change is so important.

Few of them understand why we’re demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh step aside and allow for a peaceful transfer of power.

I am worried about what the future holds — not because of the fear of violence, but because of the uncertainty.

Afrah Nasser is a reporter in Yemen who writes for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization in London that trains journalists in areas of conflict. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.