Houthi militants recruit more than 10,000 children over 7 years — report 

DUBAI: The Iran-backed Houthi militia has recruited as many as 10,000 children since the start of the conflict in Yemen in 2014, say human rights groups.

According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and SAM Organization for Rights and Freedoms, a civil rights organization in Yemen, the recruitment took place between 2014 and 2021.

A report by Human Rights Watch said the majority of recruits were between 13 and 25 years old, including hundreds — possibly thousands — below the age of 18.

Media releases from the Houthis’ official news outlet, SabaNet, about the militias’ recent recruitment show people who appear to be children. The UN has investigated at least 1,851 individual cases of child recruitment or use by the Houthis since 2010, the report added. 

Since 2011, the Houthis have featured on the UN secretary-general’s annual list of groups responsible for grave violations against children in armed conflicts.

Initially listed for their recruitment and use of child soldiers, since 2016 it has also been included for killing and maiming children and for attacks against schools and hospitals.