In the conservative landscapes of Yemen, where the echoes of conflict have long dictated the rhythm of daily life, a new and insidious battlefield has emerged within the glow of smartphone screens. It is a realm where photos are weaponized, reputations are shredded in seconds, and the traditional concept of “honor” is used as a tool for high-stakes extortion. Afraa Al-Hariri, a prominent Yemeni lawyer and human rights defender, views this digital landscape with the sharp eye of a veteran strategist. “The laws that do not protect women in reality are the same laws that fail to protect them online,” she observes, capturing the essence of a legal vacuum that has allowed cybercriminals to thrive in the shadows of the internet.
As the Country Director of the Peace Track Initiative, Al-Hariri is at the forefront of a movement seeking to bridge the gap between ancient social norms and modern technological threats. Her insights are backed by sobering data. A recent brief on digital violence across the Arab States, published by UN Women, reveals a region in the throes of a digital safety crisis. Nearly half of all women internet users in the region report feeling unsafe from online harassment. Perhaps more terrifyingly, the data suggests that for 49 per cent of these victims, the abuse does not remain confined to the digital world; it spills over into physical spaces, manifesting as stalking, assault, or social excommunication.
The struggle for digital safety in Yemen is not merely a matter of technical security; it is a fight against a deeply entrenched culture of silence. In a society where a woman’s reputation is often regarded as the collective property of her family and tribe, the threat of “exposure”—even if based on fabricated or manipulated imagery—is a potent weapon. Perpetrators of digital violence understand this cultural leverage perfectly. They utilize photos, voice notes, and private messages to blackmail women, demanding money, sexual favors, or political silence. For many Yemeni women, the fear of the social “shame” that follows a digital leak is more paralyzing than the crime itself.
Al-Hariri points out that the very norms designed to “protect” women in traditional settings are being inverted to trap them online. “The social norms that treat women as ‘shameful’ in real life are the same norms used against them online,” she explains. This dynamic creates a shield for the perpetrator. If a woman reports a crime, she risks publicizing the very images or accusations that her community deems disgraceful. Consequently, many survivors choose to pay exorbitant sums to blackmailers—money they often do not have—rather than seek justice. This culture of silence ensures that the perpetrators remain anonymous and emboldened, while the victims are pushed into isolation and financial ruin.
The human cost of this digital epidemic is staggering, and the stories emerging from the ground are a testament to the devastating intersection of technology and patriarchy. Consider the case of a young Yemeni peacebuilder who, in her efforts to advocate for a stable future for her country, found herself the target of a coordinated smear campaign. On social media, anonymous accounts accused her of being a foreign spy, using her public profile to incite hatred against her. The backlash was so severe that she was forced to retreat from the digital spaces that were once her primary tools for activism. This is a common tactic: using digital abuse as a form of political censorship to ensure that women’s voices are excluded from the peace process.
In other instances, the impact is more personal and immediate. In the city of Aden, a woman who owned a successful beauty salon saw her life’s work vanish in a matter of weeks. A perpetrator created fake social media profiles using manipulated photos of her, spreading them through local digital networks. The resulting social stigma was instantaneous. Her friends distanced themselves, her clients stopped coming, and her business collapsed under the weight of a manufactured scandal. Without a legal framework to address this specific type of digital defamation, she was left with no social support and no financial recourse.
The most tragic outcomes of digital violence in Yemen, however, are those that end in physical death. The story of a woman in Al Hudaydah serves as a haunting reminder of the stakes. After sending her mobile phone to a local shop for repairs, a technician stole personal photos from her device, including images of her without her traditional veil. He uploaded these photos to social media, where they were discovered by her husband. In what was described as a misguided attempt to “cleanse” the family honor, the husband killed his wife. While the husband faced charges for the murder, there was no specific law in place to prosecute the technician whose digital theft and distribution had set the tragedy in motion. In another heartbreaking incident, a young girl ended her own life after being subjected to relentless digital extortion and domestic abuse, unable to see a path out of the digital trap.
“It is rare to find a woman activist who has not been subjected to some form of abuse, insult, or defamation online,” Al-Hariri notes. It was this realization that prompted her and other women leaders to demand systemic change. Several years ago, realizing that the existing legal system was wholly unequipped to handle these cases, they successfully lobbied Yemen’s Office of the Attorney General to establish a dedicated Cybercrime Unit. This was a landmark achievement, marking the first time the state formally recognized digital violence as a distinct criminal category.
With support from women’s coalitions and technical experts, the Cybercrime Unit has begun the monumental task of documenting the crisis. Thousands of official complaints have been filed, though experts agree this is only the tip of the iceberg. The challenge now lies in moving from documentation to prosecution. To this end, UN Women has partnered with Yemen’s Ministry of Justice to launch specialized workshops for judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers. These sessions, facilitated by Al-Hariri, are designed to dismantle the biases within the justice system and provide officials with the technical tools needed to track digital footprints and bring perpetrators to trial.
The shift in perspective among law enforcement is beginning to show. Fatima Yaslam, the Director of the Working Women’s Development Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, participated in a recent workshop and noted the necessity of creating clear executive regulations. “The course helped us recognize our strengths, as well as our weaknesses,” she says. “Now we are moving into the serious part: How to fight this phenomenon and raise awareness about it in society and within the justice system.”
Similarly, Judge Anmar Abdullah Saeed emphasizes the role of the judiciary in changing the public narrative. He acknowledges that the “closed” nature of Yemeni society makes reporting difficult, but insists that the responsibility for change lies with the authorities. “It’s our responsibility to teach the community how to deal with these digital threats,” he asserts. By creating a safer environment for reporting, the justice system can slowly chip away at the stigma that currently protects the criminals.
The ongoing “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” serves as a global backdrop for these local efforts. The campaign, which runs from late November to mid-December, highlights the fact that there is “no excuse” for any form of abuse, including that which occurs behind a screen. In Yemen, this movement is about more than just awareness; it is about survival. It is about ensuring that a woman can repair her phone, express her political opinions, or simply exist online without fear of a digital death sentence.
As the digital world continues to expand, the work of Al-Hariri and her colleagues remains a beacon of hope. The Attorney General’s Office now offers a portal for filing digital violence reports, a tangible step toward accountability. While the road to a truly safe digital Yemen is long, the foundation is being laid by those who refuse to let technology be used as a tool of oppression. “Women and girls must seek safety and justice to defend their rights,” Al-Hariri insists. Through the collaboration of government bodies, civil society, and international partners like UN Women, the message is becoming clear: the shadows of the internet are no longer a safe haven for those who seek to harm women.
