Yemen

The small Middle Eastern country of Yemen is taking big steps. A draft bill was created last month to punish human traffickers. This year saw 37,971 migrants and refugees who were said to cross the Red Sea to Yemen. Migrants often leave their home countries of their own free will, but then are intercepted by armed gangs and smugglers upon arrival in Yemen. The traffickers transfer the migrants to holding camps, where they are held in horrific conditions. Women and girls are frequently subjected to sexual abuse. Both men and women are subjected to brutal torture and are beaten until relatives pay a ransom for their release.

PRAISE REPORT
In Yemen, it is common for young girls to marry rich Yemeni or Saudi men. It is an economic benefit to their families. Praise God that a growing international and national movement is condemning this practice and that parliament introduced a bill to stop child marriage (The Bible,James 1:27).

PRAYER REQUESTS
Some of these Yemeni girls are only 11-years-old when they are married. Pray for these young girls that are being abused by much older men. Pray for their mental and physical health. Pray for this practice to end (The Bible, Judges 19:25-29).
In northern Yemen, there is increased fighting between Sunni Muslims and Shi’ite Muslims. Pray for the fighting to cease and for northern Yemen to be more open to the Good News of Jesus Christ (The Bible, Proverbs 25:25)
Pray against economic hardships, like higher fuel costs, that would cause more people to fall into poverty and desperation (The Bible, Proverbs 6:10-14).