Joint Statement

Red Hand Day - International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers

February 12, 2025

On the occasion of the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers, on February 12 of each year, we stress the need to protect children's rights in Yemen, where violations against children continue at an alarming rate.

The recruitment of children and their involvement in military operations is a crime against humanity, and must stop immediately.

The organizations signatory to the statement express their deep concern about the continued recruitment and use of children in military operations in Yemen, especially by the Houthi group and other parties during the war in Yemen, which is entering its tenth year.

According to reports by the Yemeni Coalition to Monitor Human Rights Violations (Rasd Coalition), 7,171 children have been recruited, including 48 children who were injured on the battlefronts, 5,552 children who were killed during combat and military operations, 503 children who are still on the battlefronts, 907 children whose fate is still unknown, and 161 children who have returned to their families during September 2015 to September 2024.

According to the report of the UN Panel of Experts, between January 2020 and May 2021, nearly 2,000 children recruited by the Houthis lost their lives in combat. Despite pledging to stop this practice in April 2022, the Houthis continue to recruit children using propaganda and subjecting them to military and cultural training courses that brainwash them and indoctrinate them with a culture of death and killing, especially through summer camps. In 2024, the Houthis continued to organize summer camps in cities under their control, which are a major entry point for recruitment and mobilization process. Recently, the Yemeni Coalition for Monitoring Human Rights Violations (Rasd Coalition) documented an increase in child recruitment since the Houthis began their attacks on the Red Sea in November 2023, as the Houthis take advantage of the war in Gaza and the Yemenis’ sympathy for the Palestinian cause to mobilize and recruit children. According to our researchers information, during October 7 until the date of the statement, 3 training courses were held, each lasting 3 months, in several governorates under the control of the Houthi group, and many children from these courses did not return to their families.

In this regard, we call on the international community to stand with the children of Yemen and demand an end to the recruitment of children, and to hold those responsible for these violations accountable.

The signatory organizations call on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to:

Fulfill their national and international obligations towards the protection of children, by immediately stopping the recruitment of children and their use in military operations; Protect, demobilize and reintegrate former child soldiers into their communities; and accelerate the implementation of the United Nations plan to end and prevent the recruitment of children by all parties.

End the use of schools, educational facilities, mosques and summer centers for recruitment and mobilization process, including ending the use of school activities to brainwash children and incite them or expose them to extremist ideas.

Ensure that all those involved in violations against children are held accountable, prosecute them, and providing justice and appropriate reparation to victims.

On Red Hand Day, we stand united in our commitment to end the use of child soldiers and protect the rights of all Yemeni children. We urge the international community to join us in these efforts and hold accountable those responsible for violations targeting Yemeni children.

Signatory organizations:

1. Yemeni Coalition for Monitoring Human Rights Violations (Rasd Coalition)
2. Musaalah Organization
3. Al-Amal Cultural and Social Women's Foundation
4. Marib Dam Foundation for Social Development
5. Free Media Center for Investigative Journalism
6. Center for Strategic Studies to Support Women and Children
7. Center for Economic Studies and Media
8. Human Rights Monitoring Organization
9. Association of Mothers of Abductees Organization
10. SAM Organization for Rights and Libertie