Five attacks on schools in Yemen in March of this year have left an estimated 30,600 children without access to education, further exacerbating an education crisis in the country, according to data analyzed by Save the Children.
This is more than twice the number of attacks on education facilities reported in the last quarter of 2020. In total, more than two million children are out of education, and at least 2,500 education facilities are affected by the war.
Escalating violence in areas such as Taiz has resulted in the deadliest quarter for children in almost two years, with 50 killed or injured in this region alone from January to March of this year.
In March, schools in Taiz were reportedly hit in four shelling attacks, three of which resulted in 11 civilian casualties, including four children. Another attack took place in Sana’a’s capital, where an airstrike reportedly hit a school. Such attacks can set back the education of children in the area for years or even the rest of their lives.
Children in Yemen continue to pay the price of this war, including with their lives. Earlier this month, reports stated that five children were killed and 12 were injured on some of the deadliest frontlines in Hodeida, Saada, and Ma’rib. In the past three years, nearly 1 in 4 civilian casualties have been children. Men leave their houses to find jobs, and while they are away, they are worried that they may come back to see their families killed.
“Attacks against schools not only put children’s lives in danger but also destroy their dreams for a better life. Schools should be a safe haven for children, not a battleground. The warring parties, along with their international allies have a responsibility in protecting them and their futures,” said Xavier Joubert, Save the Children’s Country Director in Yemen.
“Our teams on the frontlines continue to work tirelessly trying to make sure that children are protected from grave violations. However, we continue to receive hundreds of cases of children being injured in targeted attacks against civilians perpetrated by all sides of the conflict,” he added.
Save the Children is calling on all parties to the conflict to cease all attacks against schools and fully implement a ceasefire as soon as possible, in order to end violations of children’s rights and work towards sustainable peace and a political solution.
