Save the Children welcomes the new UN report on the violation of rights in Yemen with the condemnation of the conflicting parties for the complete and utter disregard for civilian lives, the organization said in an August 28, 2018 statement.
The report, by a panel of human rights experts, found at least 6,500 dead and 16,706 wounded among the civilian population of Yemen between the months of March 2015 and June 2018, noting that the actual number is even higher.
“The level of impunity is such that civilians have become a target in the attacks on infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, to densely populated areas such as markets and residential neighborhoods and community events such as weddings or funerals, making any place unsafe for Yemeni children,” according to the statement.
“This report confirms what we had already denounced, namely that all parties to the conflict are violating international laws and they would be committing, in some cases, real war crimes. Under our eyes the children are paying the highest price for this war, being killed or maimed in indiscriminate attacks. The report provides clear evidence of these horrible atrocities, “said Sylvia Ghaly, Advocacy Director of Save the Children in Yemen, the international organization that since 1919 the fight to save children’s lives and give them a future.
“Now, the international community must put an end to this impunity and to call those responsible to account for their actions. At the same time, governments that sell arms to the warring parties must recognize their responsibility in fueling this crisis and the devastating impact that their work is having on the Yemeni people…-
“The children of Yemen have been robbed of their childhood and their future. We cannot accept this state of affairs, in which the consequences for children are becoming just a side effect of the conflict. From this, not only the children and their families must be protected from the fighting, but all parties must make real and practical efforts for finding a solution in view of the upcoming peace negotiations.”
