The reality of childhood in Yemen is tragic and catastrophic by the consensus of the world
-International organizations recognize the killing of 5000 and injuring 7000 children with disabilities by the flight of the aggression.
-Women and children of Yemen are the most victims of aggression and siege, physically, psychologically, socially and economically.
Interviewer /
Mr. Mohamed Mohamed Ibrahim
General coordinator of the YNGOs Coalition for Child Rights Care, Mr. Abdo Salah AL-Harazi , has said that :
More than 5,000 children were killed and over 7,000 were permanently disabled as a result of the aggressive war, which hit the republic of Yemen by the air bombardment with a huge number of cluster bombs and internationally banned poisonous gases which has greatly affected the mother and the child in particular and civilians in general .. not to mention three million children are deprived of health services and also more than four million children are deprived from education, in addition to the right to safety, life, play and participation. ”
Al-Harazi has confirmed that the birth rate since March 2015 has exceeded three million children, but their health status is deteriorating in which they suffer from malnutrition and famine as well as mothers during pregnancy , childbirth and beyond. Besides the spread of infectious diseases and the lack of medicines and food due to the siege and aerial bombardment of the aggression forces countries led by Saudi Arabia. On the other hand ,he highlighted the most important works of the YNGOs coalition and its assessment of the reality of Yemeni children and its visions towards the efforts of international and local organizations in the field of childhood, etc. in this meeting.
War and siege has dispossessed Yemen’s children from the right to life and security and deprived 7 million child from health and education services.
More than 11 million children in Yemen are abused and deprived of the most basic essentials of life and survival.
3million born since March 2005 are suffering from malnutrition, famine and infectious diseases due to aggression.
The use of bombs and internationally banned gases by the aggression has greatly affected mothers and children in Yemen.
We called upon the United Nations to issue a resolution to end the aggression and siege and to form an international commission of inquiry into the violations.
10 civil organizations play an important awareness, service and supervisory role in the field of child care and protection.
First , the international organizations confirm that the year 2017 is the worst year for Yemeni children ..? What reports and indicators does the YNGOs Coalition have for the year 2017 on childhood in Yemen?
– At first, indicators that we and the international community and humanitarian organizations ;working in the field of children’s rights have ,confirms that the reality of childhood in Yemen is tragic and catastrophic .. We in the “YNGOs Coalition for Child Rights Care” very much appreciate the efforts of international organizations, and look forward to a greater role during this extraordinary stage of the general situation in Yemen, especially since the information is available to them on the scale of violations as killing , total siege , the spread of poverty and infectious diseases since the beginning of the aggression and aerial bombardment that does not distinguish between neither children nor women , also it has a complete picture of the expansion of internal fighting within three years, which led to the destruction of all the basic components of life as the infrastructure and civilian structure as all indicators confirm that more than 11 million children were exposed to abuse , neglecting and deprivation of the simple basics of life , survival and development and this is considered a right guaranteed by Yemeni and international laws and conventions related to protection of the rights of children.
A thousand days and more of the war and the siege on Yemen, to what extent the repercussions for childhood have been long in Yemen in numbers if possible?
– A thousand and 30 days of destruction and devastation of all elements of life. Children and women were the most victims of this war and siege, which is reflected in the reality of children to be deprived of education, health and protection. The statistics and permits of international organizations as neutral parties confirmed killing more than five thousand children and more than seven thousand injured and wounded, which caused for them permanent disabilities, not to mention three million children deprived of health services and more than four million children from education, and the right to safety , play and participation .. The percentage of births since March / 2015 reached more than three million children in a bad healthy situation of malnutrition and starvation of a child and mother in the pregnancy stage , childbirth and after. As well as the spread of infectious diseases and the lack of medicines and food because of the siege and aerial bombardment of the coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia and the large number of internationally banned bombs , cluster bombs and poisonous gases, which affected the mother and child particularly, and civilians in general.
In light of these indicators .. How do you evaluate the civil activity of child rights and care organizations in Yemen ..?
Civil society organizations play an important role in this phase as well as the role of government and international organizations. The activities of NGOs may vary to create community awareness among the community and contribute to reducing the problems and violations of civilians in which some provide food, Others have different activities to serve civil society and ensure the protection and care of children.
The participation of NGOs is of great importance for activating community participation and enhancing the participation of young children, youth and women in various programs, activities and events that contribute effectively to raising the awareness of the community.
What is the strength of civil non-governmental organizations working in the field of child rights and care in Yemen?
-There are official statistics of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor may reach more than ten thousand associations, unions and syndicates and each association has its own functions of its geographical activity and the quality of activities and programs implemented .. Here we emphasize the importance of activating this guidance for the practical participation of civil society organizations.
And what have you provided as civil organizations for Yemeni children on the international humanitarian level?
– Civil society organizations working in our country are many, and the YNGOs Coalition works to unify efforts and coordination to provide protection for children and raise awareness of the rights and national and international laws on children’s rights.
One of the most important roles of the YNGOs Coalition is the participation of government agencies in meeting their obligations to submit parallel reports to government reports submitted to the International Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva.
What international human rights organizations do you have cooperative relations with?
The international organizations in Yemen, with whom the YNGOs Coalition works continuously, are UNICEF, Save the Children International and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. For international organizations, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Human Rights Council, the Arab Fund for Human Rights and the Criminal Reform Organization (Jordan).
What is the essence of the coordination role played by the YNGOs Coalition among these organizations? And what are the most important starting points?
The YNGOs Coalition has been working since 1995 with the authorization No. (94) in various governorates of the Republic. Its work is based on coordination and participation between civil society , international organizations and governmental bodies concerned with the rights of the child, the most important of which is the essential role in providing legal aid to children subjected to death penalty, in which provisions were stopped and re – trial were done for 3 juveniles. In addition to capacity building for children, leaders of local councils and NGOs on children’s rights, the dissemination of the International Convention , Yemeni laws and legislation on children’s rights, presenting shadow reports corresponding to the government’s report on the level of protection of children, and unifying efforts between organizations and government bodies working in the field of children’s rights.
The YNGOs coalition believes in strengthening the principle of community partnership with civil society organizations working in the field of children’s rights and it has a basic system that sets out the basic principles of humanitarian action and absolute neutrality towards all children of Yemen and the world and perseverance to create a safe world for children.
What has the YNGOs Coalition achieved since its establishment internally and externally? What conferences have you done?
The YNGOs Coalition has made many achievements in the field of practical and procedural institutionalization of civil partnership in the field of child rights care at various levels whether at the level of preparing periodic reports corresponding to government reports and presenting and discussing them in Geneva with the ICRC in 2005 to 2012 or at the level of preparing and discussing reports on the Optional Protocols one on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and the Other on Child Exploitation 2008-2009. As well as working to stop number of death penalty cases against juveniles in conflict with the law in different governorates and change the course of their provisions and some of them have been released .. and working to follow up the establishment of the National Observatory for the Rights of the Child from 2012 to 2017 also Follow-up bodies involved in the allocation of budgets for children within the general budget of the state .
As well as the implementation of five annual conferences on measuring the impact of the implementation of the recommendations of the International Child Rights in Yemen in partnership with a number of government agencies and civil society organizations “2012-2016” and the implementation of a conference on reducing death penalty of children in conflict with the law 2014.
What are the challenges facing the YNGOs Coalition in its work?
The main challenges are the continuation of aggression, aerial bombardment and internal fighting, which impede the field visits and the implementation of activities related to childhood .. Another challenge is that a special headquarter for the Office of the YNGOs Coalition and its branches in the governorates is not available , also financial allocations disbursement granted by the government annually is not continuous.
How do you view the future of childhood in Yemen in light of the hard present?
We look forward to a better future for all the children of Yemen. However, what is going on in our country especially for children is difficult because of the psychological and social devastation suffered by children, deprivation of the most basic elements of life, denial of the right to life, safety and social welfare, suffering and displacement. And exposing children to all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Finally, what is your message to the United Nations regarding the suffering of childhood in Yemen?
The United Nations was appealed in March 2015 by us and we issue many statements, the most recent of which was at the beginning of 2018, to the speed of issuing a UN resolution to stop the war and aggression and open the unjust siege imposed on Yemen by the “aggression coalition” led by Saudi Arabia.
We appeal to the United Nations to speed up the formation of an international commission to investigate violations of Yemeni human rights, children, women, facilities, roads, water and electricity. We appeal on behalf of humanity to stop the internal war and the Saudi aggression on land and human beings to save more than 18 million people on the verge of poverty and famine. As well as 11 million children with an unknown future due to the psychological, social and economic impact ,reports from international organizations such as UNICEF, Human Rights and Oxfam, issued in early January 2018, can be consulted.