FATIMA RESHAT

 Yemen- Hayat Al-Rahibi, the director of the Human Rights Office in the Lahj governorate of Yemen, was subjected to violence extremist religious groups and now receives death threats by these groups for protecting the rights of the oppressed, especially women and girls.

On February 18, 2024, Hayat Al-Rahibi was physically attacked by a person in front of her house. The people have been recently provoked against her through sermons in the mosques.

“The person, who attacked me in February, is a member of an extremist group in my neighborhood,” Hayat Al-Rahibi told NuJINHA. “The group has accused me of many things through sermons given in the mosques in order to provoke people against me for six months. Their main aim is to hurt the reputation of human rights workers.”

She had to install security cameras in her home

Hayat Al-Rahibi lives in fear due to the smear campaign against her. “I am so worried about my children. I had to install security cameras in my home to protect my children. Since I have faced many violations, I asked help from the security authorities in Al Hawtah. I have not harmed anyone; I just do my job well. I am an advocate for peace and conflict resolution, especially in the camps for the displaced."

No protection order issued

Although Hayat Al-Rahibi was attacked and has received death threats, no protection order has been issued for her. “The governor does not try to help me, receiving no measure against the attacker. What I have been going through is not a personal issue but a human rights issue because I am a human rights worker in the Lahj Governorate.”

 Hayat Al-Rahibi also helps the displaced women living in camps. “I help women living in IDPs camps. I was directly threatened by the legal advisor of the Education Office for providing support to the girls, who were subjected to rape in the Al-Qabaita area. I was also beaten in front of the prosecution building by the security director of Al-Hawtah. Then, he also ordered police officers to arrest me although he knew that I was the director of the Human Rights Office.”

She also fights against cancer

Hayat Al-Rahibi also fights against breast cancer but this never stops her advocating for women and girls, who are subjected to violence in the governorate, where women are often subjected to sexual assaults or domestic violence.

Hayat Al-Rahibi called on the authorities and human rights organizations to support her. “I receive death threats and face a smear campaign for exposing rights violations against women and girls.”