Press Release on the Occasion of World Children’s Day20 November 2025

Aden 20 November 2025

The annual commemoration of World Children’s Day, celebrated on November 20—the day the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted—reminds us of the heavy price children pay. Childhood in Yemen faces an unprecedented humanitarian and human rights crisis, making it among the worst globally. The vast majority of children are growing up in poverty and conflict, rendering them the most vulnerable and affected group.

On this day, Mayyun Organization emphasizes the importance of listening to the voices of Yemen’s children and understanding their daily reality, where their fundamental rights are violated. We urge all stakeholders to encourage children to demand these rights—not only as a moral obligation but as a reinforcement of their essential right to participation and expression regarding the healthy and safe environment they deserve.

Indicators of food insecurity and malnutrition show alarming increases, with Yemen ranking third globally in this regard, according to the latest UNICEF report. The situation is expected to deteriorate further, as 18.1 million people face advanced levels of food insecurity, posing severe risks to children. Additionally, 49% of children under five suffer from stunting, and 2.4 million children under the age of five require treatment for malnutrition, including 600,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

In the area of education, 3.7 million school-age children (6–17 years) are deprived of their fundamental right to education, according to the 2024 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. This threatens the future of an entire generation. Yemen’s education system is being devastated, and during 2024–2025, the organization recorded 852 schools being used as centers for sectarian ideological indoctrination and the recruitment of children in areas controlled by the Houthi group, exposing children to grave risks.

Parents’ freedom to ensure the religious and moral upbringing of their children in accordance with their own convictions must be respected. Forced sectarian indoctrination of children constitutes a violation of Article 18(4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees that children capable of forming their own views have the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting them, with due weight given to their age and maturity.

The Houthi group violates the rights of parents and legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral upbringing of their children, and enrolls children into informal educational programs for sectarian ideological mobilization. Many parents have expressed to the Mayyun Organization their fear for their children due to these practices, which directly contribute to school dropout and their exploitation in recruitment.

Despite the suspension of large-scale military operations under the ongoing truce since April 2022, the organization continues to document various forms of deliberate targeting of children, in clear violation of international law. The recruitment and use of children in armed conflict remain a major concern, with a sharp and unprecedented rise in child recruitment. The organization recorded the killing of 146 children on frontlines and during their use in military activities from January to October 2025. Additionally, it documented the killing of 2,016 other children between 2020 and 2025 due to landmines planted in civilian, grazing, and agricultural areas.

The Mayyun Organization welcomes the launch of the “National Plan for Child Protection 2026–2029” by the internationally recognized Yemeni government, in partnership with UNICEF, under the slogan “Childhood Without Protection… A Future Without Safety.” We call for this plan to serve as an effective framework for strengthening the protection of children from all forms of violence, abuse, and exploitation.

The acts committed against children in Yemen constitute grave violations of international treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture. They also contradict the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, particularly those related to the protection of children in armed conflicts.

Based on our moral, humanitarian, and human rights responsibilities, the Mayyun Organization calls for the following:

1. The immediate cessation of all violations. We urge all parties to the conflict—especially the Houthi group—to stop all grave violations against children, including recruitment, and to comply with international humanitarian and human rights law.
2. We call on the Houthi group to end the use of schools and public facilities for sectarian indoctrination and child recruitment, halt hate speech, demobilize recruited children, and adopt programs for their rehabilitation.
3. We urge the international community and the United Nations to intensify efforts to end violations against children, increase financial and humanitarian support for child-related programs, and ensure accountability for these crimes.
4. We encourage all members and institutions of Yemeni society to stand by their children, listen to their suffering, and work to provide them with psychological and social support and protection.

Yemen’s children are paying a price for a conflict they bear no responsibility for. Protecting their childhood and safeguarding their future is not a luxury—it is an investment in peace and stability for all of Yemen. It is time to transform commitments to their rights from words into tangible reality.

Issued by the Mayyun Organization for Human Rights
Aden – 20 November 2025