Overview of Human Rights in Yemen

While the government of Yemen works to respect the civil and human rights of its citizens, there were still numerous violations reported in recent years. Members of the security force arbitrarily arrest and detain, as well as torture and abuse citizens and suspects. There are still hundreds of people held without being charged or tried in a court of law, many due to the "war on terror." Some of those held are children as young as 11 years-old. There are ongoing efforts to implement directives to align arrest, detention, and interrogation procedures closer with international standards, but implementation of these directives has not yet occurred. Prison conditions are poor. Many government officials are considered corrupt. There is a definite lack of transparency in government procedures. The government limits the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, association, religion, and privacy. Freedom of movement and workers’ rights are also restricted. Child marriage, child labor, and human trafficking are also growing concerns.

Note: In August 2004, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor granted refugees the right to work in Yemen. For many years, thousands of refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia and other nations had been living in Yemen without the right to seek legal employment opportunities.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

150th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.