This Seyaj report documents the growing crime of recruiting and using Yemeni children in armed conflicts during 2011 and 2012, in a context where protection mechanisms remain weak and national legislation does not adequately criminalize the practice.
The report explains that government forces, armed groups, tribal formations, and extremist actors all contributed to drawing children into conflict through direct recruitment, exploitation, and militarized social narratives that normalize weapon-carrying and fighting.
It also outlines the grave impact of child recruitment on children’s lives, education, safety, and future, and calls for urgent legal reform, prevention measures, rehabilitation, reintegration, and serious accountability for all parties responsible for recruiting children.
By presenting evidence from the field, the report argues that child recruitment in Yemen is not an isolated abuse but a structural and recurring violation that requires a coordinated national and international response.
