Seyaj warns of the serious repercussions of the complete or partial suspension of the educational process in Yemen during the academic year 2017-2018. The suspension of education in government schools threatens nearly five million children.
Seyaj said that this will expose thousands of students to recruitment by armed groups and drive them into child labor, which will prolong the war’s repercussions, such as ignorance, poverty, and crime, for decades to come.
According to estimates by Seyaj, it will also directly and significantly contribute to an increase in the number of juvenile combatants within the ranks of armed organizations. Over the past two years, minor recruitment has already climbed over 500%.
The deterioration of the educational process will also lead to an increase in the rates of child marriage, which has witnessed an unprecedented rise since 2015. We call on the Yemeni government and the international community to pay educators’ salaries and repair schools damaged by the war.
We call on the Arab Coalition led by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Houthi forces, former President Ali Saleh, government forces affiliated with President Hadi, and other armed formations, to immediately stop targeting or occupying schools and educational institutions, and other acts that violate Security Council Resolution 1612 of 2005 and Resolution 1883 of 2009.
Sana’a, October 11, 2017
