Seyaj Organization for Childhood Protection warned of the dangerous consequences of the total or partial suspension of education in Yemen during the 2017-2018 school year.
The organization said that if the shutdown of public schools continues, nearly five million children will lose their right to basic education and thousands will be pushed toward armed groups and the worst forms of child labor instead of classrooms. Seyaj added that this would deepen the long-term costs of war by fueling ignorance, poverty, crime, and a slower social recovery.
Seyaj noted that the number of child fighters had already risen sharply during the previous two years and warned that educational collapse would also increase rates of child labor and child marriage. It called on the Yemeni government and the international community to respond quickly to teachers’ demands for salaries, repair war-damaged schools, and keep the education sector away from armed, political, and ideological conflict.
The organization also called on all armed parties, including the Arab coalition, Houthi forces, the forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and government-affiliated forces, to stop targeting or occupying schools and educational institutions, stressing that such acts are serious violations of children’s rights under UN Security Council resolutions.
