What makes our work extraordinary

Despite the war's propaganda machine and its vigorous campaign against independent human rights work, we have persevered for ten years to establish an outstanding model of independent human rights work. As a result, we can easily answer the recurring question of what sets Mwatana apart from others and has earned us such wide recognition and respect.In this blog, our primary focus is to present our approach to male and female civilians in Yemen, who are at the center of our work and interest. We aim to clarify the distinctive nature of our approach, which has helped us achieve valuable results both within and outside Yemen. Our ultimate goal is to continue pursuing justice and redress for victims of the eight-year war, holding violators accountable, and ultimately achieving peace.In early 2007, Mwatana strived to obtain a permit to operate as a human rights organization in Yemen. However, the former regime repeatedly denied Mwatana's permit due to its opposition to human rights violations committed during the Sa’ada wars and against the peaceful Southern Movement, as well as violations of press and public freedoms. Nevertheless, Mwatana did not give up and continued to enhance its human rights expertise by collaborating with various international organizations. Through this collaboration, Mwatana has been able to further develop its knowledge and skills to effectively advocate for justice and human rights in Yemen.After years of being denied a permit of operation, Mwatana finally received it on April 23, 2013. Since then, Mwatana has been working diligently to establish a cohesive institutional structure that enables the organization to achieve its vision, goals, and strategic plan. It has developed efficient and effective work mechanisms that interact with various local, regional, and international organizations, despite the complexities, challenges, and risks of the situation in Yemen. Through these efforts, Mwatana has been able to consistently and concurrently carry out a range of operations and activities to advocate for justice and human rights.In 2014, Yemen plunged into a full-scale war, which was preceded by the political strong desire to silence all voices related to civil action, as well as humanitarian and human rights work. This had a severe impact on male and female civilians in Yemen, leaving them vulnerable to various types of violations that undermined their social, economic, and cultural rights.Despite the tense and unstable nature of the ongoing conflict, Mwatana for Human Rights has continued to intensify its work with the people of Yemen. Its primary objective is to reach out to victims in different regions to make their voices heard and bring attention to their plight. Mwatana has also expanded its work to all conflict-affected governorates in Yemen, while raising the standards and mechanisms of its work in the process.Mwatana has refused to accept the artificial barriers and borders created by the belligerents to divide Yemen's geography. Instead, Mwatana has skillfully and diligently crossed these barriers and borders to gain access to every area affected by violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Through its professionalism and transparency, the organization has also been able to dispel the propaganda that tried to portray Mwatana as a regional and factional human rights organization.From the outset, Mwatana for Human Rights has taken a path that stands in stark contrast to the corruption, inefficiency, and insignificance often found within some civil society organizations. Mwatana began its work at a time when the entire field of humanitarian and human rights work was viewed with suspicion due to the excessive formalities and useless projects and activities that were prevalent at the time. Some organizations were even using the work as a means of enriching themselves illegally. As a result, Mwatana has had to shoulder the additional responsibility of increasing its sensitivity towards managing its resources with integrity, transparency, and accountability to the highest standards. In addition to carrying out its human rights work accurately and objectively, Mwatana has also had to ensure that its financial operations are scrutinized. Therefore, the organization's procedures and documents have been audited by independent and specialized international bodies, which has helped establish the organization as a trustworthy entity among its partners and donors.We believe that Mwatana for Human Rights has achieved extraordinary work for several reasons. First, although the civil society sector in Yemen already experienced significant growth before 2014, Mwatana began its activities at a time when the sector faced oppression and restrictions from the warring parties involved in the conflict. Second, many civil society organizations and their staff have withdrawn from the sector due to safety concerns, while some have even provided false information to support the narratives of the warring parties.Mwatana for Human Rights recognizes the importance of building the capacity of independent field research teams to enable them to collect, examine, and verify information on human rights and international humanitarian law violations in compliance with the highest international standards. By focusing on enhancing the skills of both our field and central research teams, Mwatana has been able to produce credible reports, studies, statements, blog posts, letters, and human rights briefings. To ensure that we maintain high ethical standards, we developed a code of conduct that governs every step of the work process, from our staff interactions to dealing with our sources of information, including victims and witnesses. We prioritize obtaining informed consent from victims, their relatives, and witnesses prior to taking their testimonies in a manner that protects against exploitation and danger to them, and prevents the malicious and exploitative use of information. Therefore, our primary concern has always been the best interest of victims, their relatives, and witnesses.Mwatana for Human Rights is proud to support Yemeni families in their efforts to reunite with loved ones who have been detained by parties to the conflict. Even up to this moment, scores of our dedicated lawyers, who proudly wear the Mwatana emblem, can be found working tirelessly in villages, cities, detention centers, courts, prosecutors' offices, and other relevant locations to secure the release of detainees, end inhumane treatment of civilians, and reveal the fate of disappeared persons. Over the past years, we have been able to secure the release of hundreds of detainees and offer support and assistance to many others in need.Our success and distinction in our work often come with a cost ­– systematic incitement campaigns and calls for violence and hatred towards Mwatana. As a result, our staff has often been subjected to arbitrary detention or hindered in their work.The hate campaigns against Mwatana for Human Rights are often based on misinformation and false generalizations. These campaigns seek to divide the truth or twist it in a way that portrays our work as being selective or targeting only certain entities. Despite these accusations, we at Mwatana remain committed to a strict code of conduct that does not differentiate between civilians or filter violators based on political affiliations. Our focus is on any act that violates international human rights law and/or international humanitarian law, ensuring that justice is served to all victims, without exception. This is essential for achieving comprehensive and sustainable peace, and we will continue to hold all perpetrators accountable for their actions.To affirm its commitment to its values, Mwatana and its staff will continue to uphold their principles. They refuse to be swayed by war propaganda because they acknowledge that there is no such thing as a clean war. Any act that causes harm, whether killing, injuring, displacing, starving, or other acts that violate human rights, is unacceptable and those involved must be condemned and held accountable. Mwatana recognizes that civilians and their well-being are the main targets of this war. Thus, the warring parties view Mwatana as a threat because of its continued impartial work to defend innocent civilians.Mwatana has been established as an organization for ten years now, but for its staff members, that means more than just a number of years. Despite ongoing shocks, worries, concerns, threats, and violations, Mwatana’s staff works tirelessly and persistently. They find joy in seeing that the Yemeni people can finally celebrate the end of violence and violations.Our slogan “a society in which every human being enjoys rights and justice” was not chosen randomly. It was the result of reflecting on what we have achieved so far and what we hope to achieve in the future, despite the challenges we have faced along the way.We do not claim to be superhuman or that we have somehow escaped the consequences of this conflict. Our motivation to keep going comes from the fact that we are in constant contact with the suffering of Yemeni civilians. Every day, we witness the impact of violent acts — injured persons, grieving families, destroyed homes, and injured children. We feel their pain, and it affects us deeply. We stumble, we cry, and we get traumatized, but we always get back up. To us, there is no greater honor than being a defender of life, even in the face of those who use weapons to take it away.Rather than treating the victims of the war as mere numbers in an auction market, Mwatana recognizes them as human beings with complex feelings and emotions. While many people only see Yemen as a collection of statistics, our organization keeps a daily record of the immense suffering experienced by the majority of Yemeni civilians. This memory serves as a stark reminder of the devastating reality of war, and even if action to hold perpetrators accountable fails, it could teach future generations a lesson they would never forget about the real meaning of war. As our chairperson has repeatedly stated in international forums, there are no clean hands in the Yemen war.Despite the numerous challenges and risks ahead, such as conflicting political interests at the international level, the rise of populists to power, the empowerment of armed groups, and dealing with double standards in human rights files in the world, Mwatana for Human Rights remains committed to its noble and arduous task.. Mwatana owes its exceptional existence to dozens if not hundreds, of its Yemeni employees - both male and female - who represent the vital artery of its existence. Mwatana’s employees are the backbone of the organization, which has always focused on empowering women in a fair and just manner. The work environment at Mwatana is a vibrant tapestry of uninterrupted work, willpower, dedication, and innovation.As human rights work provides an opportunity for many young men and women to distance themselves from aligning with the warring parties, Mwatana for Human Rights has become one of the most appealing organizations to raise the voices of civilian victims, which is a crucial element in halting the war and promoting peace initiatives.Day after day, it is confirmed for these young people that their decision to embark on this experience has been right. For in the long foreseeable future, these young men and women will look back on themselves fondly, that in times when the call for ruin was heard, on the contrary, they listened to the whisper of peace.Mwatana for Human Rights is not defined by one person or a group of people. It is the product of a complex network of human connections based on solidarity, which goes beyond any narrow affiliations like regionalism, sectarianism, or any other pre-national identities. Despite having limited resources, Mwatana is driven by the same passion and dedication that Yemeni farmers have for their land and their longing for peace.At Mwatana, we are the product of genuine and impartial convictions, and an organization that we have kept free from political influence or support with strings attached. We believe that such factors contradict our values of justice and peace.One of the shortcomings we have distanced ourselves from, in order to affirm our sincerity to our values and the correctness of the results of our work, is that Mwatana refuses to receive support from local and international entities or countries involved in human rights violations, whoever these countries or entities are, and regardless of the amount of funding they will provide. Mwatana's selection of its local and international partners constitutes a strong moral shield that protect us from false claims made by the warring parties, black propaganda, and multiple, unfounded accusations. Meanwhile, our partners, with their confidence in our work and eagerness to share our pain, are part of this remarkable and exceptional success.