AL-MUKALLA: Houthi fighters have implemented gender segregation at the Mass Communication College of Sanaa University as part of a morals drive in Yemeni regions under the militia’s control.
Now, male students will attend the college on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, while girls students must report on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, according to a decision circulated by the Houthi-backed students’ union of the college.
Houthi leaders and media organizations were trying to justify the decision, saying the changes were introduced to avoid rape incidents and to uphold Islamic values that bans women from interacting with men, according to Arab News.
Taking to Twitter, Houthi leader Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi said that the decision of the university was in accordance with the girl students’ desires, as they possess pride, modesty, and elevated Islamic values.
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To convince the public about the mover, the Houthi-run media said that free mixing among female and male students would result in rape incidents and sexual harassment, as well as it will effect productivity and innovation.
Houthis’morals campaign
In recent years, the Houthis have started a morals drive in Sanaa and other cities under their control, imprisoning female singers and models, and banning music, closing cafes where male and female intermingle, imposing a dress code on females on public places, and banning co-education.
Some observers in Yemen have warned that the increasing Houthi persecution of females could force them to leave their classrooms and workplaces.
Baraa Shiban, human rights activist, said in a tweet, that soon many women will quit public life in areas under the control of Houtis.
Houthis have also banned women from traveling between cities in the country or abroad without a mahram (male companion), and they are still imprisoning several Yemeni activists and models, including Entisar Al-Hammadi.
