Barran Press
The Houthi group, internationally designated as a terrorist organization, is robbing children of their childhoods and jeopardizing Yemen's future by indoctrinating them with extremist ideologies, according to Dr. Ali Al-Tam, head of the "Protection" organization for civil orientation.
Al-Tam told Barran Press that the Houthis "send most of the children they recruit to summer camps to battlefronts."
He explained that on the front lines, these children face "death, injury, or psychological trauma due to fear or physical exploitation, whether they are in the front lines or logistics operations."
He spoke of "grave violations these children endure, which they and their families are reluctant to disclose out of concern for reputation and dignity, despite the fact that the child lost their dignity the moment they left their family and fell into the hands of a group with no morals, unconstrained by law or values."
Al-Tam considers exposing children to extremist ideologies "a violation in itself," explaining that it "steals their childhood, forces them to live beyond their years, and breeds a desire for violence." He added that this makes it easier for the Houthi group to recruit them and send them to battlefronts.
Al-Tam accused the National Commission for Investigating Allegations of Human Rights Violations of failing in its duty towards the severe violations Yemeni children face in areas controlled by the Houthi group. He cited the commission's responsibility for compiling a file on child recruitment and also the National Human Rights Foundation, and for bringing the matter to the attention of relevant international bodies.
He said the commission "has not submitted any files to the courts at the local and international levels to prosecute the perpetrators as individuals within this armed group."
Regarding children in Yemeni communities with tribal structures, such as areas south of Ma'rib Governorate, Al-Tam said the group "imposes such poisonous ideas through curricula and various means and methods." He stressed that these children will be affected by them in one way or another.
According to Al-Tam, this means that "there is a coming problem in these areas that could manifest in instability, even if these areas are liberated." He considers these ideas implanted in children's minds the foundation for permanent instability.
Al-Tam stated that "children are the future generation, and feeding them poisonous ideas will not lead to a safe future, whether in southern Ma'rib or other areas under the control of the Houthi group."
Despite this, he said there is a societal rejection and non-submission to these ideas in southern Ma'rib and most Yemeni communities because their social structure is tribal, which does not accept sectarianism and is not receptive to sectarian culture, the culture of violence and racism."
The head of the "Protection" organization criticized the lack of international pressure on the Houthi group to stop its violations against children, its exploitation of organizations operating in areas under its control, its continued planting of landmines, and its refusal to hand over maps.