Admit it or not, we all rely on social media like Twitter and Instagram to give us the bulk of our knowledge on current events taking place around the world. Within the past month, these current events have been focused around the rapid growth of the BLM movement and how police brutality is affecting marginalized communities in the U.S. It's easy to swipe past every story after the news becomes repetitive. That's why, when I stumbled across an article with a headline I didn't recognize, I stopped swiping and began reading. And reading a little further. And I was shocked because the information presented in the article was just as shocking and repulsive as the stories we are told about the murders of innocent people in the U.S. and yet, relatively new to me. I couldn't even tell you where the country of Yemen was on a map, much less the reality its people have been facing for the past five years. Yemen's humanitarian crisis is staggering and the media has chosen to keep it a secret for too long.
Let me continue by saying that my emphasis on the crisis occurring in Yemen in this article, is not meant to downplay the other events happening in the U.S. and beyond that are just as crucial and news worthy.
According to the Human Rights Watch (HWR), "Of the 17,500 Yemeni civilians killed or injured since 2015, a quarter were women and children killed in air raids. In Yemen, 10 million are at risk of famine and 20 million are experiencing food insecurity." 20 million people. To put that into perspective, imagine that the entire state of Florida (roughly 21 million people) were seriously impoverished without aid and broken by an economy that had failed completely. The origins of this conflict are a result of a civil war between Saudi Arabia alongside the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Houthi forces, in alliance with Yemen's former-president Saleh that took over Yemen's capital in 2014 (HRW). After alliances broke in 2019, Houthi forces killed former- president Saleh causing an eruption of disagreements resulting in clashes between the Yemeni government and their alliances which led to airstrikes by the UAE (HWR). These airstrikes have killed and terrorized thousands of civilians in the process.
The airstrikes were just the beginning. In an overview by BBC News, indiscriminate artillery attacks and missiles on Yemeni cities by Houthi forces have been compared to war crimes. Meanwhile, a report by the UN Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts states that all parties to the ongoing crisis have used children under the age of 18 as soldiers in armed conflict. Just as shocking is the behavior of the Yemeni government which has been responsible for detaining people of all ages in the poorest of conditions and using torture methods and sexual violence for control (HRW). The New York Times reports that landmines have been planted to impede civilian access to humanitarian aid and ruin farmlands and entire communities in the process (Yee). These are just some of the horrific events transpiring in Yemen today.
Even more discouraging is the reality that aid raised by international donors is not nearly enough to tackle the weight of the problems surrounding food rations and struggling health centers. The New York times explains that even a pledge of $1.35 million this month from donors around the world reached only half of a goal amount needed by the United Nations to provide necessary relief to the people of Yemen. As the coronavirus has mounted to a global pandemic, funds are needed now more than ever to begin responding to cases on the rise in the Middle East (Yee). Health care and other essential workers that rely on UN funds as monthly salaries are receiving nothing and falling ill to a disease running rampant in hospitals and refugee camps (Yee).
Despite a crisis that seems insurmountable, key agencies around the world have remained steadfast in their mission to provide aid to the people of Yemen. I've chosen to highlight three in particular that have made great strides and are asking for donations now. If donating is not feasible for you, I ask you to educate yourself. Educate others. And share donating resources with people who can and are willing to donate. Remember that no amount you give is too small. If nothing else, talking about these problems raises awareness that can change the future for people running out of hope and in need of healing.
Monarelief- https://www.monareliefye.org/
Human Rights Watch- https://donate.hrw.org/page/15328/donate/1?promo_id=1005
International Rescue Committee (IRC)- https://help.rescue.org/donate/yemen-crisis?amount=100&ms=ws_hero_fy20_covid19_yemen_usmk_20200622&initialms=ws_hero_fy20_covid19_yemen_usmk_20200622
