Sana'a: The Intisaf Organization for Women and Children's Rights has highlighted a catastrophic increase in poverty rates in Yemen, with an alarming report indicating that more than eight out of ten Yemenis are currently living below the poverty line.
According to Yemen News Agency, the organization issued a statement on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, October 17. The statement disclosed that the poverty rate has surged to an unprecedented 82.7%. This escalation marks the humanitarian disaster in Yemen as one of the most severe globally, resulting from nearly eleven years of ongoing aggression and blockade.
The organization cited a grim picture of multidimensional poverty affecting over 82.7% of Yemenis. It noted that poverty in rural areas has reached 89.4%, while urban areas report a rate of 68.9%. The report further detailed that impoverished individuals experience around 46.7% of various deprivations, with more than 54% facing a severe decline in their living conditions. UN reports corroborate this situation, revealing that 21 million people are in need of food, with 12 million children requiring aid. The food security crisis has escalated to famine levels, affecting 21.6 million people, or 75% of Yemen's population, necessitating food assistance. Among them, 17.6 million suffer from acute food insecurity.
The organization underscored that 12.6 million children require some form of humanitarian aid or protection and that over eight in ten children live in families lacking adequate income to satisfy basic necessities.
The Intisaf Organization attributed this dire economic collapse and soaring poverty rates to the US-Saudi-led aggression coalition. It blamed the ongoing aggression and air, land, and sea blockade that has persisted for over a decade, asserting that the direct and systematic targeting of Yemenis is the main cause of worsening living conditions.
In response, the organization urged the international community, UN bodies, and human rights organizations to fulfill their legal and humanitarian obligations. It called for immediate measures to completely lift the blockade and cease the aggression, enabling Yemenis to rebuild their livelihoods and address critical humanitarian needs, particularly in food and healthcare sectors.