Seyaj warned of the continuing and growing domestic violence and grave violations of international law against children in the context of more than seven continuous years of war, alongside the total absence of justice and redress for victims.
In a paper titled ‘Yemen: Childhood in Hell,’ the organization said that the continuation of war and the militarization of many institutions responsible for justice, law enforcement, and child protection have directly weakened children’s access to justice and become a major reason for the persistence and increase of crimes and violations against them.
Seyaj stated that child-rights violators in Yemen remain beyond the reach of justice for many reasons, especially the control of armed militias over security and judicial institutions and the weakening or paralysis of child-protection institutions. The organization also revealed that rates of sexual violence had increased sharply and that many child soldiers are themselves subjected to sexual exploitation.
The paper, presented during a discussion organized by the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations of Human Rights, addressed a range of grave violations including killing, maiming, recruitment, sexual exploitation, and the destruction of education. Seyaj emphasized that the absence of justice today will leave long-term psychological and social harm no less devastating than physical injuries and warned that restrictive bureaucracy and unrealistic conditions imposed on national organizations further undermine child protection and help perpetrators escape punishment.
