‘Exchange Marriages’ in Yemen: A Ticking Time Bomb

‘Exchange Marriages’ in Yemen: A Ticking Time Bomb
TT
20

‘Exchange Marriages’ in Yemen: A Ticking Time Bomb

‘Exchange Marriages’ in Yemen: A Ticking Time Bomb

Twenty two years ago Fatima was forced to marry a man at the age of 19 in return for her brother to wed the groom’s sister in what is called al-Shighar or exchange marriage.

Fatima did not have a say in the decision made by her father and brother to marry her off in the Rayma Governorate. Despite that, she lived a normal life with her husband and five children.

“We had no problems and I was happy seeing my children grow up,” says Fatima of her exchange marriage, which starts off with two men agreeing on marrying off their daughter or sister without dowry.

Her life turned upside down five years ago when her husband abandoned her and took her children – three boys and two girls – with him as an act of vengeance following the divorce of her brother from her sister-in-law.

But she didn’t give up. “I filed a lawsuit against my husband to ask him for divorce and return my children to me.”

Fatima belongs to a large group of Yemeni women who are pushed into exchange marriages, depriving them of education, dowry and their children.

A survey carried out in five of Yemen’s 22 governorates, showed that 94 percent of al-Shighar marriages end in failure. The survey included 38 men and 12 women.

According to the survey, which was done between May and November 2017, such marriages last an average of four and a half years.

On the outskirts of the northern Hajjah governorate, 19-year-old Aisha was forced to marry her blind cousin in return for a marriage that took place between her brother and her husband’s sister.

Aisha’s marriage destroyed her emotionally. She saw her 26-year-old husband as a “monster and not a life partner” on her wedding night.

“I contemplated suicide but I backed off,” she says.

Although her brother divorced, she’s still stuck in an unhappy marriage. “But my child makes me somehow happy,” says Aisha.

There are thousands of similar cases in Yemen and some people have managed to carry out two or more exchange marriages despite the difficulties.

But its mainly the economic hardships that push many to resort to such tribal traditions.

Lawyer Hamid al-Hujaily described such marriages as a “ticking time bomb” that destroys happy families.

Sociologist Dr. Abdul Karim Ghanim also said that al-Shighar is like bartering of goods, except that goods are replaced by women.

“What’s worse is that the success of one marriage hinges on the other,” he said. “Divorce leads to the disintegration of the family and creates instability for children.”

Several Yemeni non-governmental organizations have long attempted to end al-Shighar. But they hit the stumbling block of a stubborn society, which holds onto traditions.

Lawyer Hamid al-Hujaily regrets that Yemeni law does not prohibit exchange marriages. He has called for adding clauses to the personal status law to stop al-Shighar and impose penalties on those who violate it.

He also called for adding clauses that prevent the divorce of a couple in case the other couple’s exchange marriage collapses.



Where Do Trade Talks Stand in the Rush to Avert Higher US Tariffs?

FILE PHOTO: A container is loaded onto a cargo ship while docked at Hai Phong port, after US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A container is loaded onto a cargo ship while docked at Hai Phong port, after US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo/File Photo
TT
20

Where Do Trade Talks Stand in the Rush to Avert Higher US Tariffs?

FILE PHOTO: A container is loaded onto a cargo ship while docked at Hai Phong port, after US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A container is loaded onto a cargo ship while docked at Hai Phong port, after US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo/File Photo

As a Wednesday deadline approaches for steeper US tariffs to hit dozens of economies ranging from the EU to India, trade negotiations with President Donald Trump's administration are coming down to the wire.

The levies taking effect July 9 were announced in April, with the White House citing a lack of "reciprocity" in trade relations. But they were swiftly halted, allowing room for talks.

Days before their reimposition, where do things stand?

EU: 'Ready' for deal

The European Union said it is "ready for a deal" with Washington, with the bloc's trade chief meeting his US counterparts Thursday.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was targeting an "agreement in principle" when it came to the July 9 cutoff, AFP reported.

With no deal, the US tariff on EU goods doubles from the "baseline" of 10 percent to 20 percent -- with Trump previously threatening a 50 percent level.

Vietnam: A pact with uncertainties

Washington and Hanoi unveiled a trade pact Wednesday with much fanfare and few details, but it allowed Vietnam to avoid Trump's initial 46 percent tariff.

Under the agreement, Vietnamese goods face a minimum 20 percent tariff while products made elsewhere face a 40 percent levy -- a clause to restrict "transshipping" by Chinese groups.

But there remain questions on how the higher levy would apply to products using foreign parts.

There is also a risk that Beijing will adopt retaliatory measures, analysts warned.

Japan: Rice, autos at stake

Despite being a close US ally and major source of foreign investment, Japan might not escape Trump's tariff hike.

Tokyo's trade envoy Ryosei Akazawa has made numerous trips to Washington through the end of June.

But Trump recently criticized what he described as Japan's reluctance to open up further to US rice and auto exports.

"I'm not sure we're going to make a deal," Trump said, adding that the country could pay a tariff of "30 percent, 35 percent, or whatever the number is that we determine."

India: A good position

Indian manufacturers and exporters want to believe they can avoid a 26 percent tariff.

Negotiations between both countries have been going well for weeks, and Trump himself suggested at the end of June that a "very big" agreement was imminent.

Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, said the feedback he received "suggests positive developments." But he maintained that the situation was fluid.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has stressed that agriculture and dairy products remain "very big red lines."

South Korea: Muted optimism

Seoul, which is already reeling from US tariffs on steel and autos, wants to avert a sweeping 25 percent levy on its other exports.

Cooperation in shipbuilding could be a bargaining chip, but "at this stage, both sides still haven't clearly defined what exactly they want," said new President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday.

"I can't say with confidence that we'll be able to wrap everything up by July 8," he added.

Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan in the wings

Other Asian economies including Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia, which faces a 49 percent tariff, wait with bated breath.

Indonesia has indicated willingness to boost energy, agriculture and merchandise imports from the United States. Bangladesh meanwhile is proposing to buy Boeing planes and step up imports of US agriculture products.

Taiwan, for whom Washington is a vital security partner, faces a 32 percent duty without a pact.

Although both sides have faced bumps along the way, Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said "negotiators from both sides are working diligently" to find a path forward.

Switzerland: Hope for delay

Switzerland's government said Washington has acknowledged it was acting in good faith, and assumes its tariff level will remain at 10 percent on July 9 while negotiations continue.

But without a decision by the president as of the end of June, Switzerland did not rule out that levies could still rise to a promised 31 percent.