It is one of the stories of the Yemeni girls who were forced by life circumstances to drop out of school and then engage in labor, especially herding sheep.
Sameera (a pseudonym), a ten-year-old girl, is the only daughter in her family with her two brothers. She lives in one of the villages of Eyal Sureih district in Amran governorate (Northern Yemen). In earlier times, a conflict occurred between the tribe to which she belongs and the tribe adjacent to her village over a land dispute, which ended with the intervention of State agencies and the settlement of the land dispute between the two villages. It was agreed between the two tribes that this land would remain for grazing sheep for all, and then the people of the two tribes—after that—lived in peace.
Every morning, Sameera used to go out with the village girls to graze the sheep—she was the youngest among them. She used to go with these girls to graze the sheep—according to the prevailing customs of the villages and the countryside—and not to go alone. However, sometimes herding sheep may require them to go a long distance, which may reach three kilometers from their village, so they go out in the morning and return at sunset.
Sameera’s mother used to warn her every morning not to go far because she used to feel pity for her when she was coming back and seeing her fatigue and tiredness. On the morning of June 13, 2021, as usual, Sameera went out with her female companions, but this time to the land that was previously disputed, where, at that land, three masked young men—who were nearby—attacked them without any mercy.
Sameera's female colleagues ran away, and the young men could not catch up with them, while Sameera lagged behind and fell prey to them. One of them raped her, ignoring her screams, while the rest of the fleeing girls managed to escape and called for help from a car that was passing near that land.
Those in the car rushed to help Sameera, but the criminals had fled towards a village and took cover there. However, when they were asked to hand over the criminals, the sheikh of the village refused to hand them over. Furthermore, the crime became known throughout the area. Consequently, Sameera's father informed the security services, which indeed began tracking down the criminals, especially after the medical report stated that the girl had been raped.
Subsequently, as a consequence of the tribal disputes, the sheikhs and dignitaries of the area intervened, and then the customary tribal rule was used to resolve the issue between the two parties. Yes, they all agreed and left Sameera in her suffering as if nothing had happened. Although this act had a great impact on the child, who has become a recluse and spends her days and nights suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and from terrifying premonitions that haunt her.
Published in collaboration with Mwatana
