Seyaj calls on both the Yemeni government and the Houthi group to release all children who have been detained and forcibly disappeared in the war.
Seyaj calls on the Special Committee for Dialogue on Prisoners and Detainees, whose work was launched today under UN auspices in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to unconditionally release all detained children, to shield them from bargaining and bartering, and to not deal with them as prisoners of war or criminals.
According to Seyaj’s information, hundreds of children who were detained in combat zones are currently being held in unsafe sites, and their families have not had contact with them for extended periods.
Seyaj asserts that the children (the overwhelming majority of whom are in Houthi ranks) are victims of war, and those who recruited them must be held accountable under national and international laws.
The continued recruitment and involvement of children in the armed conflict have quadrupled since the expansion of the armed conflict at the beginning of 2014.
Seyaj reiterates its plea to stop using imprisoned and forcibly disappeared children as negotiating chips since they are victims, not combatants.
*Issued by Seyaj Organization – January 24, 2021
