Yemen today has so many problems that depression and complaints have become the norm. Perhaps* if it wasn?t for qat sessions* Yemenis might have revolted long ago. But as a sedative* qat has done the trick for now.Despite all this gloom* there are a few individuals and organizations who still believe that they can make things better through development and charity work. One of these organizations is the SEYAJ Organization for Childhood Protection. The word ?seyaj? in Arabic means fence. The organization defends children whose rights are violated* by either defending them in court against their abusers* or providing them with psychological and financial support to help them recover and resume a normal life.Child abuse in Yemen is both overlooked and underestimated. Over 50 percent of the population is 15 years old or younger* but their concerns are not a priority for decision makers. Yemeni children are not only neglected at policy level* but also looked down upon at home. Average parents do not pay attention to what their children are thinking or learning in and out of school. This is not only probably because they have too many children to look after -and too little resources to do so* but mainly because the concept of respecting children as individual human beings is unheard of in Yemeni culture.Yemeni culture is very much about older people* respect not just for adults but also for older generations. Although this too is fading quickly* influence and respect still comes with age* and so the grandfather in a multigenerational family usually has the last say inside the home. Children are just there to obey without discussion* and girls are even more oppressed than boys* living under greater pressure to be invisible.Corporal punishment is common among Yemeni families because it is usually the only way known for discipline. Only very few understand or know about other non-violent techniques* and even fewer actually use them.In fact* the Yemeni law says that if a parent kills his own child* he is not to be punished in the same way as if he killed another person. Apparently* the reason is that the parent is the reason behind the child?s existence. The people who drew up and approved this law don?t understand the meaning of renowned Lebanese American poet Gibran Khalil Gibran?s verses: ?They come through you but not from you*And though they are with you* yet they belong not to you.?This is why I am a fan of all organizations that work for children* especially those organizations like SEYAJ that are not afraid to challenge accepted traditions and stand up for children and their rights....

المزيد...