Houthi violations cause “psychological damage” to millions of Yemenis

Shaaban Bilal (Cairo)

A large number of Yemenis face the risk of developing psychological illnesses as a result of the harsh conditions and suffering resulting from the war that has extended for more than 9 years.
The United Nations Population Fund revealed in a report that one in every 4 people suffers from mental health disorders and needs support and care.
Yemeni experts and analysts considered that the war and its repercussions, psychological pressure and suffering over the past years had serious effects on the mental health of Yemenis as a natural result, noting that an entire generation grew up in the shadow of this war launched by the Houthi group in 2014.
Deputy Head of the Moral Guidance Division led by the Taiz axis, Colonel Abdul Basit Muhammad Al-Bahr, said that as a result of the war that was ignited by the Houthi group and its continuation for 9 years, a new generation grew up under bombardment, siege, sniping, diaspora conditions, displacement, confiscation of funds, unemployment, and lack of services such as electricity, water, gas, health, and education.
He explained in a statement to Al-Ittihad that this difficult and terrifying situation has affected the psychological health of the Yemenis due to the sound of shells and explosions, the death of some family and relatives, the hideous scenes of blood and displacement, and the lack of sleep, pointing out that there are entire neighborhoods that have been razed to the ground, in addition to the financial pressures due to the lack of drainage. Salaries.
With the emergence of more health risks facing millions of people in Yemen as a result of the continuation of the war, the United Nations said that a quarter of Yemen’s population, estimated at more than 30 million people, is in dire need of support and care in the field of mental health due to the traumas of the conflict and its ongoing repercussions.
The United Nations Population Fund pointed out that Yemen, which has been suffering from war for about 9 years, requires seven million people in need of mental health services. UN organizations concerned with supporting the Yemeni health sector explained in their previous reports that the coup and war in Yemen caused psychological and mental damage to more than 5.5 million people, stressing that the number is increasing.
For his part, Yemeni political analyst Musa Al-Maqtari said that the war sparked by the Houthi group represents the greatest tragedies that Yemen has experienced throughout its modern history, because of the effects it left that included all aspects of life, including their psychological health, which was affected by the events.
He considered that scenes of blood, killing, siege, bombing, various types of shocks, and the disruption of the social structure are a fertile environment for the spread of mental illnesses and their penetration into society of all age groups.
Al-Maqtari stated in a statement to Al-Ittihad that the difficult economic situation affecting Yemenis makes it difficult for heads of families to provide the basic needs of their children, and in the face of this deficit comes psychological pressures that turn into diseases as they continue and renew.
Al-Maqtari continued that displacement, leaving homes, and resorting to camps to escape the fire of war and lack of safety lead to a high rate of anxiety, stress, and depression, and are basic causes of deteriorating mental health, in light of the inability of the already collapsed health system to provide psychological care services.