United Nations: Over 7,500 children have been killed or wounded in Yemen in the last five and half years as a result of airstrikes, shelling, fighting, suicide attacks, mines and other unexploded ordnance, according to a UN report released Friday.
The report by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the killings and injuries were among 11,779 grave violations against children during the period between April 1, 2013 and December 31, 2018.
A Saudi-led coalition allied with Yemen’s internationally recognised government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.
The children of Yemen had nothing to do with this…..They should now be given the opportunity to exit from it and be assisted to fully recover
Virginia Gamba| UN special representative for children in conflict
Saudi-led airstrikes have hit schools, hospitals and wedding parties. The Houthis have used drones and missiles to attack Saudi Arabia and have targeted vessels in the Red Sea.
Civilians have borne the brunt of the conflict, which has killed thousands of people, created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and brought Yemen to the brink of famine.
Virginia Gamba, the UN special representative for children in conflict, said that while some positive measures have been adopted by the warring parties, “the suffering of children in Yemen has worsened during the reporting period, becoming simply appalling.”
“The children of Yemen had nothing to do with the start of this conflict,” she said. “They should now be given the opportunity to exit from it and be assisted to fully recover.”
Gamba called on all parties to the conflict and those who can influence them to “prioritise peace and actively engage in the ongoing peace negotiations.”
According to the report, the largest numbers of violations against children in the five and half years were the 7,508 youngsters who were verified to have been killed or maimed.