Yemen: Developing an official protocol for the process of handing over and rehabilitating child combatants

Yemeni Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Rights, Nabil Abdul Hafeez, said that the ministry recently developed an official protocol for the process of handing over child combatants and rehabilitating them in coordination with social protection units.

This came during his participation in the expanded meeting held on Thursday at the headquarters of the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission in the interim capital, Aden, to discuss mechanisms for joint work and coordination in the rights and freedoms file, in a manner that preserves the rights of survivors and victims of violations, according to the Saba Agency.

In the meeting, which was attended by the Vice President of the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission, Sakhr Al-Wajeeh, and Jamila Ali Raja, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Rights reviewed the Ministry’s efforts to combat child recruitment in cooperation with the security services and the army.

In turn, the head of the Rights and Freedoms Committee in the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission, Rasha Jarhum, stressed the importance of having a national team specialised in the human rights file in Yemen, through which efforts are coordinated at a national level between the official and civil departments and bodies concerned with human rights in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Human Rights Department at the Presidency of the Republic, Ali Al-Hazzazi, stressed the importance of coordinating and evaluating human rights work, bridging all gaps, and working in an integrated manner that serves the national interest.

For his part, the Head of the Civil Society and Human Rights Department at the General Secretariat of the Prime Minister’s Office noted the need to strengthen the direct relationship with civil society and support effective organizations.

While the head of the Rights and Freedoms Department in the Shura Council, Alawi Al-Basha, pointed out the importance of focusing on violations in all Yemeni regions, and the necessity of activating Yemen’s role within the Arab and international mechanisms concerned with human rights.