A/HRC/45/CRP.7 affiliated forces in Baqim and Sa’ada, the Yemeni Armed Forces or unidentified armed actors.399 Recruitment and use of girls by the de facto authorities 271. The Group received credible reports of the recruitment and use of 34 girls400 (aged 13 to 17) by the Houthis between June 2015 and June 2020 in 6 governorates: Sa’ada, Hajjah, Sana’a City, Dhamar, Amran and Ta‘izz.401 272. Girls were used in support roles (spies and recruiters of other children), and paramilitary roles (guards, medics, and members of the Zainabiyat). These allegations are consistent with similar cases reported by the Secretary-General, including 16 girls recruited by the Houthis in 2018 and 43 girls in 2019.402 Methods of recruitment 273. Unlike the Houthi recruitment of boys, which was widespread and public, for girls, a clear pattern emerged in which mostly female and occasionally male Houthi recruiters targeted two types of girls: those from Houthi-affiliated families (recruited by their own family members), and those in vulnerable economic and social positions. However, as for boys, schools and detention centres were also used as recruiting grounds for girls.403 a. Internal recruitment within Houthi families 274. Recruitment of girls by the Houthis tended to occur within family systems, creating a tight-knit and secretive community of women and girls of all ages associated with the Houthis. Daughters, nieces, sisters and female cousins of Houthi supervisors and Zainabiyat members were frequently identified and targeted for recruitment by immediate family members, female teachers, or girls already associated with the Houthis.404 In nine of the 34 documented cases, girls were related to a supervisor or a Zainabiyat member.405 Reportedly, women associated with the Houthis gave recruitment talks in each other’s homes in order to reach female audiences, including girls.406 b. Socio-economically disadvantaged girls targeted with financial threats and incentives 275. Among girls in economically vulnerable circumstances, recruitment appeared to be coercive, involving financial incentives or threats to which girls agreed as a survival strategy.407 Girls regarded as socially disadvantaged in Yemeni society, e.g., girls from female-headed households without older male relatives to serve as breadwinners or “protectors,” were also specifically targeted.408 Like boys, families’ dire economic needs accrued over years of conflict rendered girls vulnerable to offers of financial gain.409 c. Recruitment in female detention centres as condition for release 276. The Group found that Houthi prison authorities attempted to recruit girls held in female detention in exchange for their release. Female guards encouraged female detainees of all ages to join the Zainabiyat forces to participate in “jihad”, marry Houthi militants, or go to the frontlines as nurses.410 The Group received allegations of four girls (aged 15-17) recruited by the Houthis in exchange for release from female detention centres and informal 399 Confidential source on file. 11 girls alleged by primary sources; 23 girls alleged by credible secondary sources. 401 Confidential sources on file. 402 UN Secretary-General Report 2020, para. 186; and United Nations, Report of the SecretaryGeneral on Children and Armed Conflict in Yemen, S/2019/453, 3 June 2019, para. 22. 403 Confidential sources on file. 404 Confidential sources on file. 405 Confidential sources on file. 406 Confidential sources on file. 407 Confidential source on file. 408 Confidential source on file. 409 Ibid. 410 Confidential sources on file. 400 71