Crime in Yemen

Crime data from Yemen cannot be compared as a complete national picture because authorities and reporting systems are divided. In government-held areas, the Ministry of Interior recorded 16,532 criminal incidents in 2023 and reported 10,479 solved cases, or 63 percent; 6,053 cases were carried into 2024. Its first-quarter 2026 figures recorded 3,064 crimes or events, 2,721 solved cases, 1,990 matters sent to the Public Prosecution, 455 settlements or waivers, 81 cases closed, 97 transferred elsewhere, 81 ongoing investigations and 200 cases involving unknown offenders. These figures describe administrative records from government-held areas, not national prevalence or an individual's likely outcome. Recorded examples include theft on the Hadramout Coast, in Aden, Shabwa, Al Mahrah and Hadramout Valley, as well as intentional injury in Taiz and Marib and intentional murder in Abyan. Everyday risks include carjacking, robbery, extortion and kidnapping. Criminal groups, armed tribes and actors connected with AQAP may be involved, while land and tribal disputes can become armed confrontations. Weapons are widely available. The Gulf of Aden also presents risks of piracy and armed robbery. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all travel to Yemen; movements that cannot be avoided should be kept limited, planned with current local security information, varied where possible and conducted discreetly. Avoiding unnecessary night travel outside major cities and not publishing movement plans on social media can reduce exposure, but no measure guarantees safety. The formal reporting path generally begins at the nearest police section or station, called قسم الشرطة or مركز الشرطة, or at a Police Administration. Police functions include prevention, investigation, arrest under the law and protection of people and property. A report may then move from the police to the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation, البحث الجنائي, and the Public Prosecution, النيابة العامة. The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights lists a service for reporting that a crime occurred, الإبلاغ بوقوع جريمة, and information about challenging a Public Prosecution decision to preserve or close a case. Police number 199 is reported locally; some foreign government guidance also lists 194, while US guidance uses 199. The correct number and reachable office should be checked for the governorate because emergency services can be severely limited or unreliable. Preserve messages, photographs, medical records, identity documents and witness details, and avoid confronting a suspected offender when that could create immediate danger. No general crime-reporting fee, universal reporting deadline or nationwide response time has been verified; transport, security, translation and legal costs vary. Family settlements, tribal mediation and customary law can be practically influential, especially in gender-based violence cases. Their legal force is limited and they do not replace urgent protection or a formal report when someone faces immediate danger. In the first quarter of 2026, the Ministry of Interior recorded 455 settlements or waivers, showing that informal or negotiated outcomes occur alongside formal investigations. Gender-based violence carries severe access and protection risks linked to stigma, conflict, displacement and weak infrastructure. The 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan estimated that 6.2 million women and girls faced such risks, fewer than 5 percent of health facilities had clinical rape-management capacity, and around 90 percent of rural areas lacked a gender-based-violence response. Depending on the governorate and partner presence, UNFPA safe spaces and shelters, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), medical referrals, case management and legal aid may be available. Yemen Women Union (YWU) provides legal information and referrals and may connect survivors with police, health services or accommodation. Coverage, confidentiality, funding and physical protection differ by location, and no nationwide survivor hotline has been verified. Children face risks including child labour, child marriage, gender-based violence and recruitment by armed groups. In 2025, about 7.4 million children were assessed as needing protection support. UNICEF, social workers and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour provide case management, MHPSS, safe spaces, education referrals and related services where available. A UNICEF target of 1.7 million safe reporting channels concerns sexual exploitation and abuse by aid personnel; it is not a general crime hotline for children. Online offences form a partly formal but still developing area. The General Administration of Cybersecurity publishes the مكافحة الجرائم الإلكترونية app, updated on 18 June 2026, with confidential reporting, evidence upload, case tracking and legal advice. Reported examples include blackmail, fraud, hacking, impersonation and harmful content. The listed support contact is +967714155155 and the website is cyber.sis.gov.ye, but app availability, data handling and effective case processing have not been independently verified. The ITU Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 rated Yemen's legal measures at 5.29 out of 20, technical measures at 1.9 out of 20, and building, organisational, capacity and cooperation measures at 0. The FIU in Aden receives and analyses suspicious transaction notices, but it is not a general victim-reporting channel. Migrants travelling through Yemen may face violence, exploitation, abuse, trafficking, forced movement and unpaid labour. IOM-supported Migrant Response Points, mobile teams, patrols, case management, health and protection referrals, counter-trafficking assistance, alternatives to detention and access-to-justice support can provide functional help when funding and local access allow. Availability depends on the person's location and the operating partner. Formal police and prosecution channels, humanitarian services and family or tribal mediation have different responsibilities and legal force, so they should not be treated as interchangeable.