Report Documents Over 36,000 Violations Against Children in Yemen

A new report by the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms has documented 36,179 instances of human rights violations committed against children in Yemen by Houthi forces between January 2017 and September 2026.

The report, titled "Yemeni Children: From Schools to Trenches," outlines a severe humanitarian crisis, detailing incidents of killing, injury, abduction, forced disappearance, torture, sexual violence, and the systematic denial of education, healthcare, and basic necessities. According to the findings, 5,495 children were killed—including 712 infants—while 3,972 others sustained injuries from sniper fire, indiscriminate shelling, and explosive remnants of war.

The network recorded 317 cases of abduction and forced disappearance, along with 117 instances of torture in detention facilities, nine of which resulted in death. Furthermore, the report highlights the extensive recruitment of minors, noting that 9,728 child soldiers were killed in combat, based on public funeral records. An additional 12,730 child soldiers were reported injured, with data verified through hospital registries across several governorates, including Sanaa, Hodeidah, and Taiz.

The displacement crisis has further exacerbated the plight of Yemeni youth, with 49,965 children forced from their homes. Approximately 4.5 million children are currently deprived of education, as many schools have been repurposed by Houthi forces as military barracks or training centers. The report warns that the combination of disrupted schooling, military indoctrination, and economic desperation—which has forced four million children into the labor market—threatens to destabilize an entire generation.

Concluding its assessment, the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms stated that these violations represent systematic patterns of abuse rather than isolated incidents. The organization has called upon the international community, the United Nations, and human rights bodies to exert urgent pressure on the Houthi leadership to adhere to international law and prioritize the protection of children from exploitation and violence.