A new report, drafted by Save the Children and released on the 23th of March, highlights an increasing number of children impacted by explosive ordnance, including landmines and unexploded ordnance, in Yemen during the period January 2018 to November 2022, including the period of truce from April to October 2022, relying on original analysis of data collected by the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project (CIMP).
The report includes nine interviews with humanitarian mine action experts and 13 interviews, conducted by local social workers trained in psychosocial with Yemeni children, nine girls and four boys, aged between seven and 17, who had directly experienced explosive ordnance incidents in order to emphasise their voices and experience.
After eight years of war, Yemen has inherited a huge number of explosive ordnance all over the country, including landmines and unexploded ordnanc. More than 11,000 Yemeni children have been maimed or killed due to explosive ordnance. Although a credible estimate is unavailable due to the lack of equipment, capacity and funding, the country has reported massive levels of landmine contamination, covering more than 100km2.
Since 2015, an increasing number of improvised landmines, such as devices initiated by a pressure plate, remotely activated improvised devices, and a smaller proportion of conventionally manufactured mines were produced, becoming one of the most dangerous threats for Yemeni children.
Moreover, airstrikes have littered the country with unexploded ordnance, becoming an hidden danger for children long after hostilities have ended.
According to the analysis conducted by the report, the key findings highlights that:
- landmines and unexploded ordnance child casualties have increased from 1 every 5 days in 2018 to 1 every 2 days in 2022 but overall direct child casualties from armed violence decreased;
- 1 in 3 children involved in explosive ordnance incidents die;
- more than half of all child casualties in 2022 were involved in landmines and unexploded ordnance incidents;
- during the temporary truce, the number of child injuries and deaths increased due to landmines and unexploded ordnance in just three governorates: Hodeidah, Taiz and Sa’ada. The recorded incidents constituted two-thirds of all child casualties from April to October 2022.
- children are disproportionately affected compared to adults in landmines and unexploded ordnance casualties;
- explosive ordnance incidents are psychosocially devastating. Child victims suffer from anxiety, daily fear and insomnia.
In conclusion, Save the Children urges the de-facto authorities and internationally recognised government, the donors and the humanitarian community to put the focus on the children's needs, supporting their rehabilitation efforts and taking part in mine action activities in order to protect them.
Original report available here:
By Chiara Messinese
