Justice for Yemen Children must be included in peace talks
20 November 2023
November 20th marks International Children’s Day. This day serves as a
poignant reminder that we must take a resolute stand to defend, promote, and
celebrate the rights of Yemeni children. We, the undersigned, call on the parties
to the conflict in Yemen and the international community to work towards
securing justice for Yemeni children and enabling them to lead dignified lives, in
accordance with the principles enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, to which Yemen is a signatory.
The children of Yemen have endured nine painful years of conflict. No party to
the conflict can claim to have clean hands. The Saudi and UAE-led coalition,
Ansar Allah (also known as the Houthis), the internationally recognized Yemeni
government, the Southern Transitional Council, the UAE-backed Joint Forces,
and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are all responsible for perpetrating
violations against children.
In 2023, perpetrators in Yemen continued to commit human rights violations
against children, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized, including
indiscriminate ground attacks, drone attacks, sniper attacks, the use of
landmines, sexual violence, recruitment and use of child soldiers, and the denial
of humanitarian aid—abuses that are among those the UN has deemed “the six
grave violations against children.” The conflict has also left 11 million children in
need of humanitarian assistance.
Research conducted by of the Watch for Human Rights (Watch4HR) and Yemeni
Coalition for Monitoring Human Rights Violations (YCMHRV), verified 250 cases
of grave human rights violations against children documented during the period
from January to September 2023. The violations included child recruitment
(85 cases); killing and maiming (75 cases); attacks on schools and hospitals
(45 cases); kidnapping (24 cases); sexual violence (14 cases); and obstructing
access to humanitarian aid (7cases). The victims included internally displaced
individuals and Muhamasheen (a marginalized ethnic group in Yemen). The vast
majority of the victims (79%) were boys. Most of the violations were perpetrated
by the Houthis (84%), while 14% were perpetrated by the Yemeni government
and the Southern Transitional Council, and 2% were perpetrated by unidentified
officials.
The UN Secretary-General’s 2022 report on children and armed conflict also
documented 1,596 grave violations against children in Yemen, including child
recruitment, killing and maiming, sexual violence, kidnapping, attacks on schools
and hospitals, and obstruction of humanitarian aid.
The children of Yemen are having their futures stolen as parties to the conflict
launch attacks on infrastructure and education. Over two million children
are unable to attend school, as nearly 3,000 schools have been destroyed or
repurposed for military use and the Red Cross reports that a fifth of schools
have been closed. Ansar Allah has also used schools, mosques, and summer
camps to recruit children to join their forces. Although the United Nations has
signed action plans with Ansar Allah and the Yemeni government to end their
recruitment and use of children in their armed forces, both Ansar Allah and
forces allied with the Yemeni government continue to recruit children, according
to the research conducted by the Yemeni civil society organizations.
Violations against Yemen’s children have persisted in the absence of an
international accountability mechanism that could deter parties to the conflict
from abuses.
Yemeni civil society organizations eagerly anticipate a peace agreement, and
hope that all parties, including the Yemeni government, will participate and fulfill
their historical responsibilities to protect children and what remains of their
homeland. However, for the current negotiations to be effective in establishing a
lasting peace in Yemen, these talks must be inclusive of civil society, and should
ensure that transitional justice and accountability are central to the discussion.
The undersigned organizations make the following
recommendations:
01 Parties to the conflict should immediately end all violations against
children, including killing and maiming, child recruitment, sexual violence,
abductions, and obstruction of access to humanitarian aid. They should
refrain from attacks on and military use of hospitals and educational
facilities.
02 Parties to the conflict, the UN, and the international community should
prioritize the protection of children in the ongoing peace talks between
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis to ensure justice and accountability.
03 The UN and the international community should end impunity for
violations perpetrated by the warring parties, engage local civil society
organizations and victims of human rights violations, and advocate for
the establishment of an international investigative team to investigate,
collect evidence of, and monitor all human rights violations in Yemen,
including grave violations against children, to ensure accountability.
04 The UN and the Yemeni government should develop a comprehensive plan
to ensure that all children not currently enrolled in school are enrolled,
particularly marginalized and vulnerable children, and that the protection
and rehabilitation of schools is prioritized.
05 Parties to the conflict should end all child recruitment, demobilize children
who are participating in the conflict, and ensure their reintegration through
protection programs. They should also facilitate access for civil society
and protection agencies to all military and security sites to monitor the
conditions of children in detention, and the release of children and their
return to their families.
06 The Yemeni government should work on harmonizing national laws with
international agreements, especially the Convention on the Rights of the
Child and its Optional Protocols.
Signatories:
1 - Watch for Human Rights (Watch4HR)
2 - The Yemen Coalition to Monitor Human Rights Violations
(YCMHRV)
3 - DT Institute
4 - Human Rights Watch (hrw)
5 - Justice4Yemen Pact
6 - Musaala organization for human rights
7 - The Arab Network for Child Rights “MANARA”
8 - Defense for children international – Yemen
9 - Egyptian foundation for advancement of the childhood
conditions- DCI-Egypt
10 - Egyptian Coalition for Child Rights
11 - Association Mauitanienne Pour la Santé de la Mere et de l’Enfant
/DCI Mauritanie
12 - Woman and Child Development Center
13 - Center for Strategic Studies to Support Women and Children
14 - Woman peace
15 - Improve Your Society Organization
16 - Free Media Center for Investigative Journalism
17 - Washington center for Yemeni studies
18 - Basma foundation for child development and woman
19 - Yemeni Media Freedom Observatory
20 - Enqath Foundation for Development
21 - OMD-Y
22 - Alafdal Foundation for Development
23 - Al-Mamoun Developmental Foundation
24 - Istetla for Polling and Advisory
25 - Relief and Development Peer Foundation (RDP)
26 - Fina Khair Foundation for Development and Humanitarian
Works
27 - Alakhar for Peace and development center
28 - Salam For Yemen
29 - I am for my country foundation
30 - Tomorrow Foundation for Sustainable and Humanitarian Relief
(TFSD)
31 - Green Land for Development & Rights
32 - Abs development organizations for woman and child (ADO)
33 - Forall Foundation
34 - Sada Foundation for Building and Development
35 - Rawahel Foundation for Development
36 - Alamal Women’s and Sociocultural Foundation
37 - SAM for Rights and Liberties
38 - Marib Dam Foundaion for Social Development
39 - Abductees’ Mothers Association
40 - CCYRC Freedoms and Rights Monitor
41 - Reserved
42 - Reserved
43 - Reserved