BySCEME
Yemeni children suffer the burden of political turmoil
Violent conflict has plagued Yemen for months now and as a result, women and children are being pushed into the most vulnerable of positions. As stability in the country wavers, many are being forced to take refuge outside of large cities and subsequently, children are going without basic education and nutrition.
“Malnutrition rates are rising. Children are, more than ever, vulnerable to life-threatening illnesses and diseases. They are being deployed as soldiers by all warring sides, and scores have been killed in the crossfire. Many schools have been shut down,” reported Sudarsan Raghavan of the Washington Post.
Whilst many countries throughout the Arab world have gone through a wave of political turmoil, it is Yemen’s lack of resources and growing poverty that has made this conflict so destructive and devastating.
“Fresh conflicts, including a raging battle between the government and Islamist militants, have disrupted basic services; water, fuel and electricity shortages affect nearly every aspect of life, from hospital operations to trash collection. Food prices are rising, and health services have collapsed,” urged Raghavan.
Sadly, Raghavan explained that it is young girls who are suffering the most during this conflict: “Girls, especially from rural areas, face conditions that are even more dire. With rising poverty and increased displacement from the violence, many now have to take on more responsibilities, in a nation that already has the lowest school enrollment rate for girls in the Middle East. Aid workers worry about an increase in families marrying off young daughters to ease financial pressures.”
Aid agencies cannot work with ease on the ground in Yemen and the civilian casualties that have ensued have had little media attention. It is vital that Yemeni people are not forgotten and that international attention be brought to the Yemeni children who are bearing the brunt of this difficult and violent conflict.
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