Mayyun Organization for Human Rights and Development supported the call of the British ambassador to Yemen, rejecting the forced recruitment of children, which are operations in contravention of international law and child protection laws that the Iranian-backed Houthi group is behind.
In a tweet, the organization called on the permanent members of the Security Council, including Britain, to take practical steps to pressure to stop the mobilization and recruitment of children.
Mayyun’s call came in conjunction with the International Day Against Child Soldiers, which the United Nations celebrates on February 12 of each year.
Human rights reports revealed that the Houthi group has forcibly recruited more than 30,000 children into its ranks, since its coup against power in late 2014, and used schools and educational facilities as training camps for youngsters.
The British ambassador to Yemen, Richard Oppenheim, considered the recruitment of child soldiers in Yemen to be bad behavior.
In tweets, he called for the urgent need to stop the war, stop the escalation, and engage with the peace process led by the United Nations.
It is noteworthy that the report of the Panel of Experts on Yemen, earlier this month, revealed the killing of about two thousand children recruited by the Houthi group during the period between January 2020 and May 2021.
The report of the UN Panel of Experts disclosed that the Houthis continued to establish camps and hold courses to encourage young people and children to fight. It also commits grave crimes against children, including rape during sectarian sessions.
The report stated that the team received a list of the names of 1,406 children recruited by the Houthis who died on the battlefield in 2020. A list of the names of 562 children recruited by the Houthis were killed on the battlefield between January and May 2021. Most of them were from Amran, Dhamar, Hajjah, Al Hudaydah, Ibb, Saada and Sana’a. All of these areas are under the control of the Houthis.
Recently, voices have been raised condemning the Houthi group’s recruitment of thousands of children and their inclusion in the front lines, without giving any consideration to international conventions that criminalize the process of recruiting children and engaging them in wars.
