Children are the first victims of the “Houthi war” in Yemen

Dina Mahmoud (Aden, London)

With the ongoing conflict in Yemen continuing for more than 9 years, analytical circles warn that the most fragile groups in Yemeni society are paying the greatest price for the continuation of what many describe as the “Cold War” in the country, as a result of the “Houthi” group clinging to its stubborn positions and continuing the aggression. On innocent civilians.
Analysts stress that Yemeni children are now at the top of the list of societal segments that bear the consequences of this group’s obstruction of regional and international efforts aimed at transforming the current state of “no peace, no war” into a ceasefire that opens the door to the resumption of the negotiating process between the parties concerned. With conflict.
United Nations agencies and relief organizations, led by UNICEF, warn that 6 million Yemeni children are on the verge of facing actual famine, with the absence of any indications that the ongoing conflict in their country is nearing an end since late 2014.
In addition, nearly 2.2 million Yemeni children suffer from acute malnutrition, and about 12.9 million of them are in need of humanitarian assistance, out of more than 23.4 million people, in various parts of the country.
The continuation of the conflict, due to the obstacles placed by the Houthis on the path to achieving a sustainable cessation of the battles, also leads to the lack of nearly 9.2 million children from access to clean drinking water and sanitation services, in addition to the fact that huge numbers of Yemeni children have been forced to flee their homes with their families, fleeing… Houthi attacks, which make them vulnerable to exploitation and violence, forcing them into early marriage, and also forcibly throwing them into battlefields.
According to analysts, the ongoing war in Yemen has also led to an expansion of the phenomenon of child labor, after the conflict forced many families to send their children to work and earn a living, after the local economy collapsed due to the impact of the crisis, which led to more than 80% suffering. Of the population out of poverty.
According to estimates published by International Policy Digest on its website, based on reports from international and local organizations concerned with child protection, the number of Yemeni children entering the labor market has doubled, at least four times, since the outbreak of the crisis.
In addition, the conflict led to the destruction or damage of more than 2,783 schools, meaning that more than 2.7 million children were deprived of their right to education, according to figures reported by Save the Children, the international non-governmental organization specialized in child protection.
Experts warned that the continuation of the crisis in Yemen, leading to the collapse of the educational sector, is causing great damage to the cognitive and psychological development as well as the mental health of about 10.6 million school-age children in the country.