Amnesty slams Houthi ban on Yemeni women

Amnesty International has condemned a Houthi decision banning Yemeni women from working in restaurants, calling it "shameful and discriminatory”.

In a thread on its Twitter account, the human rights organization said it stands with all Yemeni women “in their fight for their rights”.

“Institutionalizing discrimination increases oppression on women and impedes the foundation for sustainable and gender-equitable recovery and reconstruction in Yemen,” it said.

Amnesty stressed that UN efforts to achieve a “peaceful reconciliation” in Yemen are impossible “without safeguarding and protecting women’s rights”.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthi movement on the matter.

Local media outlets have reported that Houthis have launched a campaign in the capital Sanaa prohibiting women from working in restaurants on grounds that it contradicts "the conservative Yemeni identity”.

Yemen has been wracked by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crisis with nearly 80% or more than 24 million of its people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starving to death, according to UN estimates.

*Ibrahim Mukhtar contributed to this report from Ankara