A statement welcoming the action plan between the United Nations and  Houthi group, and a demand to follow up on its implementation

Mayyun Organization strongly welcomes the action plan signed by Houthi group with United Nations to protect children and prevent grave violations against them, which includes the prohibition of the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, including in support roles.  We at Mayyun applaud the plan that gave Houthis six months to identify all children under the age of 18 recruited into their ranks in order to facilitate their release and reintegration into their communities.   This is an important step towards demobilizing thousands of children recruited into the ranks of Houthis, who have suffered and their families during more than seven years of conflict in Yemen.   We stress that the provisions contained in the plan must be implemented to prevent the killing and maiming of children and to protect health and educational facilities and their staff, as well as the included framework for establishing and implementing preventive and curative measures that will better protect all children in the context of conflict.  We call for the immediate implementation of the plan, its provisions and activities immediately and without any reluctance or bureaucratic obstacles in close cooperation with United Nations country task force on monitoring and reporting on grave violations against children in Yemen, and in cooperation with United Nations agencies, international and local civil society partners, and the relevant Special Representative of the Secretary-General children and armed conflict.   We also call on the United Nations team concerned with monitoring grave violations against children in Yemen to follow up on the full implementation of the action plan during the time period specified in the plan and to assess the extent to which Houthis are committed to their commitments in the plan, especially as they have reneged on previous pledges to work to end the recruitment and use of children as soldiers.  At the same time, we call on him to address the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict with the names of the leaders and parties involved in the mobilization and recruitment of children to the camps and the fighting fronts in Yemen.

Published by Mayyun Human Rights Organization April .19, 2022