Rights Group Documents Nearly 30,000 Houthi Violations Against Children in Yemen

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms said documented violations committed against children in Yemen by the Houthi militia between January 1, 2015 and March 30, 2026 totaled 29,891 cases.

In a report released Thursday and cited by Yemen's Saba News Agency, the network said the violations included killings, injuries, abductions, forced disappearances, sexual violence, displacement, child labor and recruitment of minors.

According to the report, 5,180 children were killed, including 582 infants, as a result of sniper attacks, indiscriminate shelling, landmines and mass killings, while 6,748 children sustained various injuries, including hundreds who suffered permanent disabilities caused by landmines.

The network also documented 348 cases of child abduction and enforced disappearance, as well as 167 rape cases. It said a number of abducted children were subjected to physical and psychological torture in Houthi detention facilities, with some dying under torture.

The report added that the Houthi militia had displaced about 43,965 children, while war-related conditions pushed more than three million children into the labor market and deprived around 4.5 million children of access to education after schools were turned into military facilities and recruitment centers.

On child recruitment, the network said the militia continues to recruit and deploy children in military operations in violation of international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

It noted that international reports estimate that more than 40,000 children have been recruited by the Houthis. The network said it had documented the deaths of 6,823 child recruits and injuries to 9,986 others.

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms said the documented violations amount to grave crimes that may constitute crimes against humanity and represent clear breaches of international humanitarian law and international conventions protecting children.

It called on the Houthi militia to immediately stop recruiting children and release all detained minors.

The network also urged the international community, the United Nations and human rights organizations to take effective measures to protect Yemen's children and hold those responsible for the violations accountable, warning that an entire generation is at risk if the abuses continue without serious international action.