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Houthis sign UN plan to end recruitment of child soldiers
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NEW YORK, 19 April 2022, (TON): Stephane Dujarric added that the Houthis have committed to identify and release children from their ranks within six months.
He said “as of today, the main parties to the conflict have all signed commitments to end and prevent grave violations against children.”
Nearly 1,500 children recruited by the Iran-backed militia died in combat in 2020, and over 500 hundred more the following year, a UN report revealed in January. More than 10,000 children have been killed in the war that began in 2015.
UN experts have repeatedly said the Houthis were recruiting children, using summer camps and mosques to indoctrinate them and teach them how to handle weapons.
Virginia Gamba, UN special representative for children in armed conflict, signed the action plan as a witness from New York and welcomed the measure to protect children in Yemen.
She called on all parties to the conflict to use the opportunity of the current truce to prioritize the rights of children and their needs.
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