Saudi Gazette report

GENEVA - Dr. Bandar Al-Aiban, president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, said that Saudi Arabia has achieved a much better benchmark with regard to promotion and protection of human rights, especially the rights of children, based on its principles of Islamic Shariah law that prohibit and criminalize the violation of rights.

Addressing the 79th session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in Geneva, he condemned abuse of child rights by the terrorist Houthi militias in Yemen.

The CRC session discussed the Kingdom’s two reports on the optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child pertaining to sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, as well as on the involvement of children in armed conflicts.

In his speech, Al-Aiban, who leads the Kingdom’s delegation to the session, said that the Kingdom, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown Prince, has taken a number of procedures aimed at protecting human rights and the child rights against any violations.

The HRC chief condemned the practice of terrorist Houthis in recruiting children to fight on war fronts in Yemen. He attributed this recruitment to the main cause of child victims in Yemen, saying that child soldiers who are fighting in the ranks of the Houthi militias represent one third of these militias.

“The terrorist groups, led by Houthi militias, have exploited the country’s poverty, the suspension of the educational process, and the absence of children from school to promote harmful recruitment. Militias have seized local officials in their areas of recruitment and threaten families who refuse to send their children for forced conscription.” He drew attention to the fact that there are thousands of children subjected to physical and psychological abuse through recruitment. There are no serious responses from the international community to prevent this phenomenon, which is a violation of international humanitarian and criminal laws,” he said, affirming that all military operations carried out by the Coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen are in accordance with the provisions of the international humanitarian and human rights laws.

Al-Aiban stressed that the principles and provisions of Islamic law prohibit exploitation, prostitution, pornography and violations, pointing out that the Kingdom is taking all measures to prevent the Houthi militias from exploiting and recruiting children in the war fronts in Yemen. "In the case of the capture of child soldiers, the Kingdom is keen on ensuring their proper treatment and handing them over to the Yemeni government in addition to enrolling them in rehabilitation programs for children who are recruited and affected by war so as to reintegrate them into society," he said.

Al-Aiban said that the Kingdom continues to intensify coordination with the international organizations in order to provide and deliver humanitarian aid, highlighting the projects of Yemen Comprehensive Humanitarian Operations (YCHO) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) in Yemen.

The HRC chief stressed that the Kingdom is witnessing remarkable developments in the field of human rights, including the rights of the child. It organizes educational programs, training, workshops, lectures and awareness campaigns covering various aspects of the human rights, including the rights of the child, he added.