Britain’s dark history of child abuse in Yemen |
In the wake of Israel becoming the first country to recognise Somaliland as an independent state – likely to use as a staging ground for attacks against Yemen – this article explores Britain’s history of abusive practices against children in Aden, southern Yemen; these abusive practices were often directed at children from Somaliland, who were living in Aden. This dark history is worth bearing in mind as a tragic reminder of the interlinked histories of the peoples of both Somaliland and Yemen, who have been victimised by British colonialism; especially in light of Britain’s ongoing support for Israeli militarism in the region, including Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which Britain facilitated by carrying out direct airstrikes in Yemen designed to break the ‘support front’ that the Ansarullah movement had set up in support of Gaza. In this context, Britain’s abuse of both Arab and Somali children in Aden is worth revisiting, to understand how Western imperialism in the region has consistently collectively victimised those subject to its cynical manoeuvring; a continuing trend.
Flogging Somali boys for petty theft
From the mid to late 1800s, residents of Somaliland would oftentimes cross over into nearby Aden in southern Yemen, which was at that time under British colonial rule. These migrants from Somaliland typically came in search of work. There were also Somali families who had already been living in Aden prior to Britain’s takeover of the territory in 1839.
The British colonial authorities in Aden reserved brutal punishments for Somali men and boys when they were found to have engaged in minor offences, such as petty theft; young boys were among the victims of protracted public lashings.
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In 1895, Donald Mackenzie from the Howard Association (now the Howard League), which campaigned for penal reform in Britain and its colonies, visited Aden and gathered evidence of these punishments being inflicted on Somali men and boys there; he wrote the following in a statement that he subsequently presented to the executive committee of the Howard Association in England:
“I am anxious to draw your attention to a matter, which I think of considerable importance, regarding the punishment of boys and men at ADEN. It was brought under my notice, while staying there two months ago. It appears that boys and men from SOMALILAND, who come for work, or are residents in Aden, are punished, in my opinion, in a most cruel manner.........