The Yemeni government warned the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that the Houthi militias are recruiting more than 30,000 children, saying that they face the worst kinds of violations.
The government reiterated that Houthis brainwash the children through so-called "cultural courses" and mobilize them with sectarian and extremist ideas.
Yemen's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Advisor to Foreign Minister Marwan Noman, called for a review of the monitoring and control mechanisms for violations against children in areas under Houthis' control.
In Yemen's statement delivered during the Executive Council of UNICEF in New York, Noman stated that his country attaches importance to cooperation with the UN organization and creating a partnership that will provide care and protection for children and ensure their future.
He noted that the country is going through challenges and exceptional circumstances as a result of the unjust war waged by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, which affected the lives and future of children.
Noman referred to the practices and violations against children, noting that the militias exploit the economic and living conditions of Yemeni families to recruit children.
He said that the government, in cooperation with UNICEF, is working to implement the action plan to end and prevent children's use in armed conflict, signed in 2014.
The government is also working with UNICEF to vaccinate the population against COVID-19.
The organization also supports infrastructure projects to reduce the causes of cholera and epidemics, including water and sewage networks, and raise awareness of ways to prevent these epidemics.
The Yemeni government revealed that the Houthi group uses summer camps as closed centers to train children by Iranian experts and teach them to use light and medium weapons.
The government says that the pro-Iranian group has established hundreds of training camps for children to fight in Sanaa and other governorates under its control.
Government officials warn of the repercussions of these Houthi measures on the social fabric and coexistence among Yemenis.
They also call on parents in militia-controlled areas to protect their children from the insurgents, warning that they are using the youth in their battles and schemes targeting the security and stability of Yemen.
The Houthi militias in Sanaa and all the areas under their control launched summer centers to attract school students.
The group's leader stresses that sectarian courses should be an alternative to Yemen's existing public education system.
Yemeni activists called on the residents of Sanaa to protect their children and prevent their recruitment to battlefronts which deprive them of their right to education and life.
