ESOHR stated that Saudi Arabia doesn’t effectively protect children, both inside the country and abroad, as it still prosecutes them through arbitrary detention, torture, injustice trials and even extrajudicial killing. Besides this, the organisation highlighted that there are 8 children at risk of execution at any time, after being sentenced to death.
These key points were raised during a joint statement with ADHRB, by ESOHR researcher, Mrs. Douaa Dhainy, on March 5th 2018, at UN HRC during its thirty seventh session.
Moreover, the organisation expressed its deep concern toward children’s plight in Yemen, which has increased due to the work of the Saudi-led coalition. The intervention highlighted that Saudi’s targeting of children in the war on Yemen is not surprising, as it is used to violating children’s right in the country before.
The organisation pointed out that the Saudi-led war led to the closure of schools and the suspension of education of millions of children. Furthermore, restrictions on food imports has led to severe malnutrition, stunted growth and delayed cognitive growth, as well as being a contributing factor to the lack of availability medicines. The intervention also clarified that these factors also contributed to the cholera epidemic which has affected more than one million people, a quarter of whom are children below five years old. In addition, according to UNICEF, more than 11 million children need humanitarian assistance.
It concluded the intervention by asking the HRC to clarify what steps it can take to protect children from Saudi Arabia’s irresponsible policies.