Poverty is widespread in Yemen, but within this already deprived nation one group suffers the most, forced to cope not just with poor living conditions, but with brutal social prejudice and racism as well. They are commonly known as the Akhdam, meaning 'servants' but they call themselves the Muhamasheen - 'the marginalised people'.
14 Oct 2012 . HOUDIEDA, Yemen. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Distinguished by their African features, and the medial jobs they perform – notably cleaning the streets – the Akhdam have been forced to the bottom of the Yemen's social ladder. The community suffers vicious prejudice from other Yemenis, and are so socially excluded that they have been compared by anthropologists to the "untouchable" caste of India. One proverb advises: “If a dog licks your plate you should clean it, but if it is touched by a Khadim (servant), then break it.”
24 Oct 2012 . SANAA, Yemen. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Yemen's 1962 revolution, which ended a 1,000-year-old Islamic principality and sought to implement a republic based on equality, officially abolished ancient status categories, but the Akhdam retained theirs. Working as house servants, emptying mosque latrines and, more recently, collecting the country's garbage, the Akhdam, most of whom live in fetid slums on the outskirts of the capital, are all but invisible to most Yemenis.