Yeman
Nearly 6 Children Are Being Killed Every Day in Yemen
Yemen is one of the most terrifying places in the world to be a child. Children are bearing the brunt of a brutal armed conflict which escalated in March last year and shows no sign of a resolution. Scores of children are dying every month, while those who survive live in constant fear of being killed. Since the escalation of fighting basic services that children depend on have been decimated. Food, medicine and water are all in short supply. Nearly 10 million children – 80 per cent of the country’s under-18 population – need urgent humanitarian assistance. More than 1.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Children killed by bullets and bombs can be counted, but countless more risk death from malnutrition or otherwise preventable diseases as essential social services fail.
Since the conflict escalated on 26 March 2015, at least 900 children have been verified as killed and over 1300 injured. In other words, nearly 6 children are being killed every day and others injured. That’s more than seven times the number killed in 2014 and three times the number injured. UNICEF believes that the true number of children killed or maimed could be much higher.
Children are also being recruited and used by armed forces and groups across the country. UNICEF can confirm that a number of children have been recruited and used by parties to the conflict up to the end of July. Recent rapid assessments on child protection show that most children are living under enormous stress—up to 80 per cent of affected children say they fear playing in the open. In addition, in 18 out of 22 governorates, children are at greater risk of being exposed to injury caused by mines and other unexploded ordnance (UXOs).
Source: UNICEF
