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The Ones Who are Continuously Suffering: The Children of Yemen

Updated: Apr 21, 2020

Hiba Siddiqui- April 18, 2020

The onslaught of war has depleted Yemen of its resources and has created an environment unsuitable for any human being.

 

Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/6-700-children-killed-injured-in-yemen-unicef/1379209 This image depicts the conditions in which kids are forced to live in while they are struggling each day.


Yemen has been tortured with war for five long years. This humanitarian crisis has depleted all of the resources in Yemen and has left the healthcare system in shambles. The Yemeni people face constant dangers as their lives are threatened by the calamity of war. The civil war is between two factions consisting of the Hadi-led Yemeni government backed by Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels backed by Iran. In addition to these groups many other countries such as Saudi Arabia and terrorist groups like Al Qaeda have joined in on the destruction in Yemen leading to even more civilian casualties. Due to these conflicts and heavy warfare, the people of Yemen have been forced into living in unsanitary conditions plagued with disease.

The children of Yemen are assumed to suffer 20 more years of hunger and poverty after the war has ended. The children are growing up in a society where they are surrounded by chaos and havoc. There is no economic system or political system present in the country. Each day is a struggle for the people as they lack basic resources and do not have enough medicine. There is little focus on education as people are worried more about when they will have another meal. The infrastructure of Yemen has been destroyed meaning that extensive amounts of money will be needed in order to rebuild the country to a stable state of being. The fighting has killed thousands of civilians, leaving many more struggling with starvation. The United Nations calls the situation the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.  

Source: https://theintercept.com/2015/11/16/u-s-and-saudi-bombs-target-yemens-ancient-heritage/ This image illustrates the destruction that has been taken place in Yemen and the hardships that all the people face.


The UN has been providing funds for emergency response in Yemen and to provide basic medical kits. A lot of the aid to Yemen is going to be cut as the U.S. is deciding to stop providing healthcare aid to Yemen. American officials defended the decision by citing there had been interference by the Houthi rebels. This decision has stirred up major controversy between humanitarian groups and the administration. 

However, there has been a source for hope when the main aggressors laid out a plan for peace. Saudi Arabia has announced a unilateral cease-fire. The Houthi rebels also uncovered their own plan for peace. The United Nations hopes to convene with both sides and figure out a way to dispel the violence in Yemen. These discussions for peace are only the first steps in a long, harsh journey to have a decisive end to the war. The war generated a huge amount of human suffering since the Saudi-led bombing and blockading of Yemen. 

The coronavirus pandemic brings more difficulties to Yemen as the first reported case has been confirmed. In Yemen, people are living in extreme crowded conditions making it easy for the virus to spread. The country only has a limited amount of medical supplies. Save the Children, a charity foundation, says the country has only about 700 intensive care unit beds, including 60 for children, and 500 ventilators for a population of about 30 million.  The UN is struggling with finding the funds to pay for the supplies due to countries cutting aid. There is only a scarce amount of medical equipment available leading to a potential deeper issue.   

The ones who are suffering behind the scenes with no one looking after them are the children. The young children of Yemen are dying. They are forced to live in a world where all they will ever see are black skies and demolished buildings, in places where they will always be scared. The children are living day by day not knowing at which moment they can lose a parent, a sibling, or a friend. The children are the future of Yemen. The future of Yemen is suffering, The future of Yemen is dying. The future needs help. 

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