Raja Abdullah Al-Masabi is from Ramya Governorate. She was born in 1968 in Taif City in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where her father was working. She returned with her family to Yemen, after completing her primary education, and here she completed her secondary and university education.
In her first year of life, Al-Masabi experienced polio, leading to a physical disability that compelled her to spend a significant part of her childhood in hospitals, seeking medical interventions. Unfortunately, her condition deteriorated following a medical error exposure in one of the hospitals. As a result, her family resorted to cauterization for treatment, resulting in nerve damage and a lasting disability in her left hand.
She did not surrender to this disability and did not remain confined to the house, nor did she submit to the customs and traditions of her community, which limit the role of women to childbearing and working within the home. Through her will and great ambition she was able to overcome the circumstances of disability and break social restrictions.
She then became an international expert and trainer in the field of human rights, specifically for the rights of people with disabilities and a goodwill ambassador for international peace.
In this interview, we delve into the details of her challenging journey, crowned with many inspiring successes for a woman who selflessly gives her time, energy, and love to those in need,despite her disability.
Yemeni Women's Voices Platform: Can you share your academic and professional journey?
Raja Al-Masabi: After I finished high school in Hodeidah Governorate, I had to move to Sana’a to continue my university education. In 1985, I was obtained a bachelor’s degree in English from the Faculty of Arts, Sana’a University, and I was one of the first Yemeni women to enroll in the university in this major.
My academic journey did not stop at that level. I was obtained a master’s degree in feminist studies from the Center for Applied Research and Feminist Studies at Sana’a University, and another master’s degree in human rights from Geneva Human Rights Center, in addition to many international diplomas and training courses in the field of human rights and peacebuilding.
I started my professional career early, as I worked at Hodeidah Radio since I was a student in elementary school. After I moved to Sana'a to study English, I worked as an interpreter in the Expats Department at Al-Thawra Hospital in Sana’a. Then I worked as a technical secretarial officer to determine disability rates in the same hospital and concurrently held the position of Vice President in the Expats Department.
After that, I was appointed as Director of the Department of Health Care Quality, Patient Safety, and Accreditation at the Ministry of Public Health. I, along with the team and the management were credited with establishing a team of quality coordinators in the Ministry and in all government offices and hospitals affiliated with the Ministry and forming the national accreditation team as one of the first experiences in the Arab region.
Yemeni Women's Voices Platform: What challenges did you face in your academic and professional career?
Raja Al-Masabi: Community’s view of the inferiority of women in general, and the disabled in particular, presents the greatest challenge for me. Community ignores women with disabilities and does not believe in their abilities. I remember with burning pain when women would visit my mother while I was in a coma and say to her: “Let her die, it would be better for her to die.” But My mother, may God have mercy on her, did not do that, but rather embraced me and gave me full care and attention.
In addition to the government’s neglect of people with disabilities, and failure to provide care and their special needs for them, this motivated me to work in the field of human rights.
Yemeni Women's Voices Platform: How were you able to overcome these challenges and achieve your goals?
Raja Al-Masabi: I was able to overcome these obstacles and challenges with my family’s support and acceptance of my disability, as my father, mother, and brothers were treating me with complete tenderness, care, and appreciation without any discrimination. Additionally, my father's commitment to education motivated him to encourage me and my brothers, without exception, to pursue it.
Yemeni Women's Voices Platform: What achievements have you performed in the field of human rights?
Raja Al-Masabi: I devoted most of my time in defending human rights and I have worked at the international and local levels serving the rights of women, children, and the rights of people with disabilities. Besides that, I was among five Yemenis who founded the first association for physically disabled people in Yemen, the “Association of the Physically Disabled” in 1988, and I was also a member in the Women’s Association, which turned after 1990 into the Yemen Women Union. I also established the Arab Human Rights Foundation in 2002, and I have b been its president to this day. In addition, I’m also a member of many local, Arab and international organizations, networks, and alliances
I participated in many international seminars, conferences and training courses on human rights, and represented Yemen in many international fora, most notably, working to convince the government of the necessity of having a Yemeni delegation participating in United Nations meetings to discuss the draft of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I was part of the delegation attending convention meetings and chairing the regional campaign against arbitrary divorce in Yemen.
Yemeni Women's Voices Platform: Please detail the roles you played in supporting the participation of Yemeni women.
Raja Al-Masabi: I was interested in enhancing the political participation of Yemeni women,through their participation in special programs and activities. In the 1997 and 2003 elections, I worked as director of the Women’s Political Participation Project, which aimed to increase the percentage of women’s participation in elections as voters and candidates. In addition, I served as the head of the Women’s Candidates Support Fund in the same year, overseeing the implementation of a project dedicated to supporting women's issues, and engaging in educating both society and heads of electoral centers on women’s political rights, encouraging their active exercise.
Yemeni Women's Voices Platform: What impact have you been able to achieve on Yemeni society?
Raja Al-Masabi: Through my work in the Association of the Physically Disabled, I was able to support many women with disabilities and push them toward education and work. I gained great acceptance among Yemeni families, as I used to go to the neighborhoods in Sana’a, ask about the homes in which there were women with disabilities, enter them, and once they saw me as a handicap, I felt that the family agreed to the main objective of my work. That is why I was able to take many girls out of the house and integrate them into education and the labor market, while there were only a few of them who were educated and worked before.
My participation in discussing the draft of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and attending the meetings held for that purpose from 2002 to 2006 until the agreement was finalized, is my most important achievement. I am extremely proud of it. Thanks to our efforts, Yemen became the first Arab country, followed by the State of Qatar, to actively participate in the discussions on the draft agreement.
In 2013, the SPMUDA International Peace Organization, affiliated with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, appointed me as a Goodwill Ambassador for International Peace and Director of the Yemeni Team of the Goodwill Ambassadors Program due to these efforts.
Yemeni Women's Voices Platform: What challenges do Yemeni women and women with special needs face in participating in power and decision-making positions?
Raja Al-Masabi: Women in Yemen are considered one of the most affected groups as a result of the armed conflict. The conflict has caused a deterioration in the economic, social, and health conditions in Yemen, which affects the lives of women in particular.
In general, women in Yemen face many challenges and problems including high rates of domestic violence and sexual assault, challenges in accessing basic health services, education, and job opportunities. They may also be exposed to negative discrimination in laws, policies and culture that consider women in a secondary position compared to men.
Women with disabilities face additional challenges in accessing basic services, healthcare, education, and job opportunities that are appropriate for their special needs. This is due to the lack of sufficient infrastructure in Yemen to meet the needs of women with disabilities and provide them with the necessary support.
Yemeni Women's Voices Platform: In your opinion, what forms of discrimination do women face in Yemeni society?
Raja Al-Masabi: Women in Yemeni society face discrimination in a range of fields, most notably legal discrimination that limits women’s rights. Women also face social and cultural discrimination that reinforces the false image that women are weak and unqualified for leadership as well as for political and economic participation.
In addition to discrimination in the field of education, where some are unable to access education due to social and economic obstacles, they are subjected to restrictions in exercising their various rights, as some restrictions are imposed on them while participating in various activities and achieving their personal ambitions.
منصة أصوات نساء يمنيات: كيف يؤثر التمييز على حياة المرأة وفرصها؟
رجاء المصعبي: تؤثر أشكال التمييز على حياة النساء في اليمن وفرصهن بطرق عديدة، بما في ذلك تقييد الحرية الشخصية، حيث يتعرضن لقيود في حرية التنقل، والحصول على وثائق السفر، وحرية اتخاذ القرارات الخاصة بحياتهن، سواء فيما يتعلق بالزواج، أو التعليم، أو العمل.
إلى جانب تفاقم العنف الجسدي والجنسي والعنف الأسري، فالتمييز والتحيز في المجتمع يؤدي إلى تعزيز هذا النوع من العنف وتقييد حقوق النساء في السلامة والحماية، وتضييق الفرص الاقتصادية، نتيجة للتمييز في سوق العمل، حيث يصعب على النساء الحصول على فرص عمل مناسبة وإثبات أنفسهن في مجال العمل.
إلى ذلك تعاني العديد من النساء في اليمن من تأثيرات سلبية على صحتهن النفسية نتيجة للتمييز والقيود التي يوجهنها، وتزداد احتمالية تطور الاكتئاب والقلق والتوتر النفسي، ويتسبب التمييز في تقييد مشاركة النساء في التنمية الاجتماعية والاقتصادية للبلد، بفعل عدم استغلال الإمكانات الكاملة للنساء.
منصة أصوات نساء يمنيات: كيف يمكن تحقيق تغيير حقيقي في المجتمع اليمني لتمكين المرأة وتعزيز دورها؟
رجاء المصعبي: لتحقيق تغيير حقيقي في المجتمع اليمني وتمكين المرأة وتعزيز حقوقها ودورها، يجب أولاً إيقاف الحرب الدائرة في البلاد وتعزيز السلام.
تالياً يجب العمل على زيادة التوعية بحقوق المرأة وتعزيز قيم المساواة في الحقوق بين الجنسين، من خلال حملات توعية في وسائل الإعلام والمدارس والمجتمعات المحلية لتغيير الصورة النمطية للمرأة في المجتمع، كما ينبغي إصلاح القوانين والسياسات التي تفرق بين الرجال والنساء وتحد من حقوق النساء، وتعزيز القوانين التي تحمي النساء من العنف الأسري والاعتداء الجسدي والجنسي وتعزز حقوقهن في المجالات الاقتصادية والسياسية.
وتوفير فرص التعليم المتساوية والمناسبة للنساء والفتيات، بما في ذلك التعليم المهني والتدريب لتمكينهن اقتصاديا وتعزيز مشاركتهن في سوق العمل، وتعزيز المشاركة النسائية في القطاع العام والخاص، والمشاركة السياسية واتخاذ القرارات على المستوى المحلي والوطني.
ويتطلب ذلك جهوداً مستمرة وتعاوناً قوياً بين الحكومة والمجتمع المدني والمؤسسات الدولية والفردية لتحقيق التقدم المطلوب، فيجب أن يتعاون المجتمع الدولي مع اليمن لدعم جهود تمكين المرأة وتعزيز حقوقها، من خلال تبادل المعرفة والخبرات وتوفير التمويل المناسب لبرامج التنمية التي تستهدف تحقيق المساواة في الحقوق بين الجنسين وتمكين النساء.