A/HRC/45/CRP.7 could lead to an additional 30,000 children in Yemen developing severe acute malnutrition, almost half of all children under five years developing malnutrition, and a 28 per cent increase in preventable deaths among children younger than five.360 Child recruitment and use in hostilities and other related violations 244. This year, the Group focused its investigations on examining the complex patterns of child recruitment and use in hostilities by parties to the conflict. Recruitment and use of boys and girls in hostilities is also intrinsically linked to other violations (e.g., right to education, freedom from arbitrary detention and sexual violence), some of which will be covered in the following paragraphs. 2. Child recruitment into the armed forces or armed groups and use of children in hostilities by parties to the conflict 245. During the reporting period, the Group of Experts documented 259 new cases of children recruited and used in hostilities by several parties to the conflict, among which it was able to verify 16 individual cases. However, this latter figure only accounts for a partial picture of the scale, nature and prevalence of child recruitment and use in Yemen, which endanger the lives of boys and girls and put them at risk of abduction, trafficking, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment. 246. Whether and how a boy or girl in Yemen was recruited depended upon which party to the conflict controlled a child’s home territory and his/her age, gender and socioeconomic status. Across all verified cases of child recruitment, one common denominator was clear: families’ poverty was a powerful push factor rendering children vulnerable to manipulation from recruiters and peers. Recruitment and Use of Children by brigades/units with the alleged involvement of members of the coalition and/or the Government of Yemen 247. Between May 2016 and January 2020, the Group documented cases where boys, aged 12 to 17, were recruited and transferred from south-central governorates of Ta‘izz and Lahj in Yemen to Al-Wade’a, Al-Khadra, Najran, Jizan, and Dahran Al-Janub, for training in Saudi Arabia, and then used in combat by brigades/units with the alleged involvement of members of the coalition and/or the Government of Yemen. The Group reviewed documents that may indicate a link between these brigades/units and the Joint Forces Command of the coalition forces. For instance, the coalition allegedly facilitated the free movement of new recruits, through checkpoints and border crossings.361 While the Group verified the presence of children among these brigades, further investigation is required to ascertain the details of how children’ entry into and movement within Saudi territory was facilitated by the coalition. The Group also received reports that the coalition provided training, financial, material and combat support to these brigades/units through Saudi and Yemeni officials.362 Further investigation is required to verify the control and command structure of these brigades/units. 248. Boys were mainly used in combat against the Houthis in Sa’ada, Yemen.363 The Group interviewed the fathers of three of these boys (aged 15 to 17), who confirmed their sons were recruited and used in hostilities through the same modus operandi described below. While none of the three boys were abducted or forced to join the brigades, the boys’ families were not aware of their whereabouts and searched for them. By the time the families received https://www.unicef.org/appeals/files/UNICEF_Yemen_Humanitarian_Situation_Report__for_May_2 020.pdf; See UNICEF, “Yemen Five Years On: Children, Conflict and COVID-19, 26 June 2020, https://weshare.unicef.org/archive/Yemen-5-years-on--Children--conflict-and-COVID-192AM408PCSWKZ.html 360 Ibid. Also documents on file. 361 Confidential Sources on file. 362 Confidential Sources on file. 363 On 9 March 2020, Saudi Arabia and Yemen closed Al Wade’a border crossing due to COVID-19 movement restrictions, allegedly halting new recruitment by the Brigades through that crossing. It could not be verified whether other crossings were used but no allegations were received after that date. See Al Sahwa “Yemen Closes Key Border Crossing with Saudi Arabia”, 9 March 2020: http://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-38953 66