Irada before the Human Rights Council: 461,815 Children Targeted by Houthi Recruitment Efforts

President of Irada Warns the Human Rights Council of Racial Discrimination and the Targeting of Children in Yemen

The President of Irada Organization, Sheikh Jamal Al-Maamari, warned of the continued practices of racial and sectarian discrimination and violations committed by the Houthi militia in Yemen, stressing that their impact has extended to children and education and threatens the future of coming generations.

Al-Maamari made these remarks during a speech delivered before the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 1 October 2026, as part of the Council’s discussions on racial discrimination. In his statement, he highlighted what he described as systematic violations committed by the Houthi militia since its takeover of Sana’a in September 2014.

https://youtu.be/aLYTE2R6QNc?is=M0Oh3mT7QdNocHdc

The President of Irada Organization stated that academics, politicians, activists, and journalists have been subjected to abduction and detention, along with United Nations personnel and humanitarian workers. He emphasized that thousands of civilians remain detained in Houthi militia prisons.

Al-Maamari also recounted his personal experience, explaining that he was abducted and tortured in Houthi militia detention facilities, resulting in paralysis that he has endured for the past 12 years.

He further warned of the targeting of children through the education system and Houthi-run summer centers, noting that approximately 1.6 million students in areas under Houthi militia control are, according to data from Irada Organization, being subjected to attempts to alter school curricula and to sectarian ideological indoctrination.

He added that 461,815 children attended summer centers organized by the Houthi militia during the current year, stating that the exploitation of these centers for ideological and military indoctrination poses a serious threat to children’s rights and to the future of Yemeni society.

In concluding his statement, the President of Irada Organization called on the Human Rights Council and the international community to condemn these violations, hold the perpetrators accountable, work to end the targeting of children and education, and protect civilians from discrimination and other violations in Yemen.

Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance6

October 2026 | Geneva, Switzerland6