“Now I know I have a future”: Safe spaces work with health centres to save women’s lives in Yemen

AL MAHRAH/MARIB GOVERNORATES, Yemen – In a rural corner of Al Wadi District in Yemen’s eastern Marib Governorate, Salwa* was forced into marriage at just 17 years old. 

Salwa had to abandon her education and quickly became pregnant. But instead of care, she was met with physical abuse and neglect from her older and unemployed husband. Trapped by fear of stigma and a culture that usually places blame on survivors, she endured the abuse.

But while pregnant, she joined a group of neighbours attending an awareness session on women’s rights at a safe space for women and girls, supported by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. The women were provided with knowledge, support and awareness on human rights – specifically that gender-based violence is never acceptable, and that help is available.

“Today, I know I have rights,” Salwa told UNFPA. “I know I have a future – and I’m not afraid anymore.”

Salwa received psychosocial support, medical care and services to protect her from her husband. She was also referred to Al-Wehda Hospital in Marib Governorate for antenatal care. But when it came time to give birth, her pregnancy took a dangerous turn. Due to her young age, she experienced prolonged labour, followed by severe uterine prolapse – a painful condition that can cause serious health complications. 

“I was so scared. I didn’t understand what was happening to my body,” she told UNFPA. “I thought I was going to die.”

Thanks to close coordination between the safe space and the hospital, she was admitted for surgery in time to protect both her immediate recovery and long-term reproductive health. “The staff at the safe space stood by my side – they saved my life and gave me hope again,” said Salwa, who has now left her husband and is living with her parents. 

“They didn’t treat me as just another case, but as a human being who deserves care and support.”

From despair to dignity in Al Mahrah

In the southern Al Mahrah Governorate, 25-year-old Laila*, a pregnant mother of two, had been displaced by the war. Living in dire poverty, she, too, suffered constant abuse at the hands of her husband. 

Exhausted, traumatized and malnourished, she had a miscarriage at five months pregnant. Bleeding heavily, she made it to a UNFPA-supported safe space for women and girls, where she was referred to the UNFPA-supported Al Ghaydah Central Hospital. There she received emergency medical care that saved her life and protected her reproductive health.

“If it weren’t for the safe space, I wouldn’t have known what to do or where to go. They were my only refuge – they supported me medically and emotionally, and stood by me when everyone else disappeared,” she said. 

Like Salwa, Laila’s healing extended far beyond physical care. She too received emotional and psychological support, including listening sessions and help in developing a personal safety plan. A skilled seamstress, she was also encouraged to resume her work as a way to support herself and her family; the displacement and deterioration of her mental and physical health had caused her to lose confidence in herself and she had stopped practicing her trade.

“I thought I was alone in my miserable world,” said Laila. “But here, I felt someone truly cares. They saved me from death, from fear and from myself.”

When services come together

UNFPA’s integrated model of care is a survivor-centred approach that combines gender-based violence protection, mental health support, and sexual and reproductive health services.

Gender inequality and power imbalances are an underlying cause of violence against women and girls, and communities also frequently lack awareness of sexual and reproductive health services. Providing these together not only encourages people who may otherwise hesitate to seek help, it is a cost-effective intervention that empowers communities and fosters leadership.

“It wasn’t just one service that saved me – it was all of them,” said Salwa. “I am grateful they gave me a second chance at life.”

Underfunding threatens the lives of millions

The facilities Laila and Salwa attended are supported by the governments of Austria and Norway as well as the European Union’s humanitarian office. But as funding dwindles globally, some 1.5 million women and girls in Yemen have lost access to life-saving services this year alone. 

Among them are around 300,000 women who can no longer reach safe shelter, psychosocial support, referrals to health centres and legal aid. Untold numbers of young girls have been;left even more vulnerable to gender-based violence, including child marriage.

“I’m trying to get back on my feet and live again, but there are many other women who are still in desperate need – maybe even more than I was,” Laila told UNFPA. 

“Keeping these spaces running means keeping so many women alive, especially in a conflict that has gone on for too long. Many of us have lost our breadwinners and have become both mothers and fathers. We just need someone to stand with us — not to leave us alone.”

So far this year, UNFPA has had to cease supporting 44 health facilities, 10 women and girls’ safe spaces, one mental health centre and 14 mobile reproductive health and protection teams in the most remote and underserved areas. UNFPA has appealed for $70 million for Yemen in 2025; so far just one third has been funded. 

*Names changed for privacy and protection