Yemeni women worse off after revolution: Report

SANAA, Yemen (AP) - Women in Yemen are worse off now than a year ago, when they played a significant part in the country's revolution that promised political and economic change, an international aid agency has concluded.

In a report released on Monday, Oxfam International said four out of five Yemeni women claim their lives have worsened over the past 12 months. Faced with an intensifying humanitarian crisis, which has left a quarter of women between the ages of 15 and 49 acutely malnourished, they say they're struggling to feed their families and are unable to participate in the country's transition.

"The food crisis is the biggest impediment," said Ms Sultana Begum, an Oxfam humanitarian policy advisor who authored the report. "How do you expect people to participate in this very important process which is going to decide the future of a country when they're focused on day-to-day survival?" The United Nations' World Food Program says 10 million Yemenis, nearly half the population, do not have enough food to eat.

The crisis is blamed on a number of factors, including soaring food and fuel prices in the past year. Markets in cities and villages are brimming with fruits, vegetables and meat, but private organisations say the food is not affordable to people who are grappling with high unemployment, unrest and internal conflicts that have displaced families.