SAM organization for Rights and Liberties stated in a new report issued on the occasion of the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, which falls on February 12, 2024, under the title " Return Me My Son When Childhood Becomes a Price for Power," that all warring parties in Yemen have engaged in the recruitment of children and have involved them in combat activities resulting in the death of many of them.

The report traces a number of reasons that have contributed to the transformation of the phenomenon of child recruitment into a social, human rights, and legal problem in Yemen during the years of war. It also highlights the general political and legal conditions that have exacerbated the issue of child recruitment. The report explains that the control of the Houthi Ansar Allah group over the capital Sana'a in 2014 greatly accelerated the pace of child recruitment. The group relied heavily on children in many combat and logistical activities.

The report also highlighted the difficult conditions faced by children who have been recruited in conflict areas, relying on documented testimonies in a number of international reports and the organization's own reports, which were based on testimonies from children who have either left or escaped from the grip of the warring parties.

The report shed light on the multiple factors that have greatly contributed to the widespread recruitment of children. It highlighted how some families were driven to risk their children by sending them to the frontlines of combat. Additionally, it emphasized the effects that this phenomenon has had on both families and children. The report emphasized the urgent need for immediate action to stop this crime against children.

In the report, the SAM Rights Organization urged the Yemeni government to reform national legislation to align with the international trend of criminalizing child recruitment. They also called on the international community and relevant entities to increase efforts to combat the phenomenon of child recruitment and work towards providing necessary protection for children in conflict areas.

This report comes at a time when there is a global commitment to combating the recruitment of children. It reflects the belief of the SAM Rights Organization in the right of children to a safe and innocent childhood. The organization also emphasizes its ongoing collaboration with partners in building a world that ensures the fundamental rights of children and protects them from the risks of being recruited in armed conflicts.