Inside the Houthis’ War on Women: Blackmail, Sexual Violence, and Forced Recruitment

“I was imprisoned in Sana’a for a crime I did not commit. The Houthis told my family I had been accused of a moral offense at work, and they disowned me,” said Marwa Saleh, speaking anonymously to More to Her Story for her safety. “I fell into a deep depression. I stopped speaking to anyone, and no one came near me.”

Marwa, a hairdresser who owns a salon on Mujahid Street in central Sana’a, says she was arrested after refusing repeated harassment from a Houthi commander. Though she completed her sentence, she remained behind bars for months. 

“I went from one prison to another. Despite promises from the Zainabiyat that my family would accept me, I ended up alone — working in my salon, my engagement broken, in touch only with my mother in secret. The Zainabiyat began exploiting my psychological state.”

The Zainabiyat are the female security units of the Houthi rebel group. Originating in Sa’ada Governorate, the Houthis’ stronghold, they played roles in earlier conflicts but expanded dramatically after the Houthis seized state institutions in September 2014. Their duties include suppressing women’s protests, raiding homes, conducting surveillance, and spreading ideology. Reports indicate they have received training in Sana’a, Lebanon, and Iran, modeled after Iran’s Basij female paramilitary forces.

Marwa recalls that “Umm al-Karrar, a Zainabiyat member, would lead daily religious lessons, sometimes about Fatimah al-Zahra, sometimes about Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. She convinced me that if I joined, I would be released quickly and my family would forgive me — because no one dares question the honor of the Zainabiyat.”

Although the Zainabiyat are an all-female force, their work is directed by Houthi men. Women detained on “moral” charges often describe being given an ultimatum: collaborate or face humiliation, torture, or indefinite detention. A 2019 report by the SAM Organization for Rights and Freedoms documented how sexual blackmail and false prostitution charges were used to pressure women into joining Zainabiyat units. Survivors like Marwa and Samira said they were threatened with the release of compromising photos unless they agreed to conduct surveillance or suppress protests. 

Samira was one of dozens of women arrested by the Houthis’ Preventive Security on fabricated “moral” charges. She was never taken to court nor allowed a lawyer, only transferred to a secret prison in Sana’a. There, she was given two options: sign a pledge to work as a security collaborator, or see compromising interrogation photos and videos released to “ruin her life.” She signed under duress.

Huda al-Sarari, president of the Defend Rights and Freedoms Foundation, describes these abuses as systematic violations amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. “These are not isolated incidents,” she said. “It is a moral and legal obligation to document, advocate, and pressure the international community to hold perpetrators accountable.”

She notes that coerced recruitment and sexual violence constitute forms of human trafficking and enslavement, violating Yemen’s international obligations under treaties such as the Palermo Protocol and CEDAW.

Even girls as young as 14 have been detained. A UN Panel of Experts documented the imprisonment of minors subjected to physical and psychological torture.

Ruaa, 16, was arrested with her siblings for commemorating the September 26 Revolution. Detained in Sana’a Central Prison, despite Yemeni law requiring minors be placed in social care, she endured beatings, threats of sexual assault, and pressure to spy on her family and classmates. She eventually agreed, but continues to suffer deep psychological trauma.

According to the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms, the Zainabiyat committed more than 1,400 documented violations against women in Sana’a alone, including torture, rape, and psychological abuse, sometimes leading to suicide.

Since seizing power in 2014, the Houthis have tightened restrictions on women, leading Amnesty International to classify Yemen as the worst country in the world for women.

In February 2021, the Houthis arrested model Intisar al-Hammadi and colleagues, accusing them of prostitution and drug trafficking without evidence. In prison, she endured severe physical and sexual abuse. The Zainabiyat reportedly demanded she cooperate in sexual entrapment of politicians in exchange for release. She refused.

Her colleague, Yusra al-Nashri, later escaped and described similar abuse, including fabricated charges and transfers between secret detention sites.

The Human Rights Information and Training Center estimates that the Houthis operate more than 200 secret detention sites across Yemen, holding about 1,400 detainees, including women as young as 14. A 2019 UN report confirmed that 279 women were raped in Houthi prisons with Zainabiyat involvement.

Al-Sarari stresses the importance of documenting these violations through survivor testimonies using internationally recognized methods, such as the Istanbul Protocol. She urges presenting findings to the Human Rights Council, UN rapporteurs, and pushing for an ICC referral or Security Council resolution extending jurisdiction to Yemen.

She calls for urgent psychological and legal support networks for survivors, public awareness campaigns, and transitional justice mechanisms. Protecting survivors’ privacy while highlighting their stories, she says, is essential to mobilize accountability.