Iran-backed Houthi rebels are seizing on the Israel-Hamas war to recruit more child soldiers, watchdog reports
- The Houthis have increased child soldier recruitment following Hamas's Oct. 7 attack.
- The militia is using Palestinian solidarity to attract young recruits in Yemen.
The Houthis have recruited hundreds or thousands more children to join their militia in the name of Palestinian solidarity and as they stand up to the US in the wake of Hamas's Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, Human Rights Watch reported on Feb. 13.
"Over the last three months, the Houthis have recruited more than 70,000 new fighters," the HRW report stated. "Several activists and experts working on issues related to child recruitment told Human Rights Watch that the vast majority of recruits are ages 13 to 25, including at least hundreds or thousands who are younger than 18."
The Houthis have been recruiting child soldiers for over 10 years even though it is considered a war crime to enlist children under the age of 15, but there's been a notable uptick in activity since Oct. 7. Researchers and activists told HRW that the Houthis are using Palestinian solidarity as a way to recruit children in Yemen.
For weeks the Houthis have been mobilizing and attacking international shipping through the Red Sea in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack, in which Hamas terrorists killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis. Since then, Israeli counter-attacks have killed more than 28,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
"The Houthis are exploiting the Palestinian cause to recruit more children for their domestic fight in Yemen," said HRW researcher Niku Jafarnia. "The Houthis should be investing resources into providing the basic needs of children in their territories like good education, food, and water, rather than replacing their childhood with conflict."
The Houthis have distributed food baskets to families and have had a presence in summer camps for the purpose of recruitment, according to a 2023 UN panel report. The Houthis have also infiltrated numerous government institutions in Yemen, including its defense and education departments, to recruit children.
"[Recruitment] activities in schools have increased massively [since October 7], including through the school scouts," one activist told HRW. "They take students from schools to their culture centers where they lecture children about the Jihad and send them to military camps and front lines."
Houthi leaders had previously pledged to end the use of child soldiers in 2012 and had also signed a UN action plan in 2022 agreeing to end violations against children in Yemen.