YEMEN Press Agency

Amnesty Int’l calls for coalition leaders to be tried for children rape in Taiz

TAIZ, Oct. 20 (YPA) – Amnesty International on Sunday called for those suspects in children rape crimes in Taiz province, including members of the warring forces loyal to Saudi-led coalition and local leaders, to be brought to justice for a fair trial.

The organization held the coalition-backed security authorities in Taiz responsible for protecting the families of children who were raped. It called for thorough investigations and zero tolerance for these crimes to protect the families of children from retaliation.

“These victims and their families find themselves alone unprotected in the face of the horrific plight and consequences of sexual abuse,” said Heba Morayef, director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Office.

She added that the painful testimonies made by those young people who had been raped, and the testimonies of their families, revealed how the ongoing conflict made children vulnerable to sexual exploitation in a city that suffers from security and institutional weakness.

In a previous report published on its official website on October 7, Amnesty International revealed that 17 children in Taiz had been raped, affirming that “rape and sexual assault committed in the context of armed conflict are war crimes.”

The organization continued: “the leaders who do not put an end to the crimes of children rape may themselves be responsible for those crimes.”

 

YPA