What the attack on Hodeidah means for Yemen’s children: 8 things you need to know

Yemen is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.

More than 22 million Yemenis – that’s three-quarters of the population – need humanitarian assistance and protection. More than 11 million of them are children. The conflict has made Yemen a living hell for its children.

The attack on the Red Sea port city Hodeidah endangers the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in the city. Millions more across Yemen depend on the humanitarian and commercial goods that come through the port every day for their very survival.

More than 5,000 families in Hodeidah are estimated to have fled their homes since 1 June to escape the heavy fighting, indiscriminate shelling and airstrikes. Landmines, fighting and insecurity confront civilians fleeing for safety. Casualties include women and children.

The girl pictured above lies injured in a hospital in Hodeidah on 9 June 2018. She was hurt, along with her brothers and her uncle, while the family tried to escape the fighting in one area of the city.

Even before the fighting began, conditions in Hodeidah were some of the worst in the country – 25% of children in the city are suffering from acute malnutrition. The city was one of the epicenters of last year’s cholera outbreak, one of the worst in modern history.

We are calling on all parties to the conflict wherever they are in Yemen and those who have influence on them to keep children out of harm’s way and protect basic civilian infrastructure. In line with international humanitarian law, all parties to the conflict must immediately stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and stop any military activities near or from these facilities including schools, hospitals and water facilities.

Fast facts

1. The city and surrounds of Hodeidah are one of the most densely populated areas in Yemen. There are around 600,000 people in Hodeidah, including 300,000 children, caught in the fighting.
2. The United Nations fears that as many as 250,000 people – more than 100,000 children – may lose everything, even their lives, if the current military attacks escalate.
3. Hodeidah is the single most important point of entry for the food and basic supplies to Yemen. Close to 70% of the country’s imports, including commercial and humanitarian goods, enter through Hodeidah and Saleef to the north. Suspension of port activities will have a catastrophic humanitarian impact on children across the country.
4. More than 11 million children in Yemen are already in need of humanitarian assistance.
5. More than half the health facilities in Yemen are not functioning due to damage or a lack of operating budget and staff. Many health workers have not been paid for over a year.
6. In 2018, an estimated 1.8 million children are acutely malnourished across the country, including nearly 400,000 severe acutely malnourished children fighting for their lives.
7. Collapsing water and sanitation systems in Yemen have cut off 8.6 million children from regular access to safe water and sanitation, increasing the risk of diseases spreading.
8. Nearly 2 million children are out of school across the country. The education of another 4.5 million children is at risk due to teachers not being paid for over a year.

Source: UNICEF