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Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC)expresses deep concern over the alarming reports of repeated tragic incidents affecting children in schools under Houthi control.
The latest incident involved seven children suffering severe injuries from a hand grenade explosion at Al-Han Bin Malik School in Dhamar Governorate on December 7, 2024.
According to information received by the organization, the grenade was brought to school by a fifth-grade student who had taken it from his father, a member of the Houthi militia. This dangerous situation culminated in a catastrophic explosion while the children were playing in the classroom, resulting in three critically injured and others needing urgent medical attention at a local hospital.
This incident is part of a disturbing pattern threatening the lives and educational futures of children in Yemen. Schools in Houthi-controlled areas have increasingly become sites of militarization and recruitment. In August, for example, a bomb exploded in a classroom in Bani Matar District, injuring numerous students. Furthermore, a child was shot in October during weapons training at a school in the Al-Sayani District of Ibb Governorate.
WJWC condemns these practices in the strongest terms, highlighting that converting schools into unsafe environments represents a blatant violation of human rights charters, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This convention underscores the right of children to a safe education and protection from all forms of violence. Additionally, the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict prohibits the use of children in warfare.
International reports indicate that the Houthi militia has increasingly converted schools into hubs for ideological indoctrination and the military recruitment of children, including through summer camps in areas under their control. In these camps, children are exposed to extremist ideologies and receive military training, effectively preparing them for combat roles. A recent report from the UN Security Council's Panel of Experts highlights the Houthi militia's use of children for landmine planting, armed combat, and other perilous tasks.
These ongoing crimes and violations against children necessitate urgent action from the international community, including the UN and human rights organizations, to put an end to these abuses that compromise children's rights and devastate their educational prospects in Yemen.
Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) calls for concrete action to protect Yemeni children: an independent investigation into the repeated attacks on schools, accountability for perpetrators, the demilitarization of schools, the creation of safe learning environments, enhanced programs to clear unexploded ordnance and educate children, and an end to Houthi child recruitment and exploitation.
To protect Yemeni children from the ongoing and escalating dangers, Women Journalists Without Chains is committed to rigorous monitoring, documentation of these violations, and collaboration with local and international organizations to achieve accountability.
