A/HRC/45/CRP.7 237. Most of the members of the coalition have also ratified the OP-CRC-AC.345 Many of the ratifying States have submitted binding declarations under art 3(2), including, for instance, Saudi Arabia, which has stipulated 17 years as the minimum age for voluntary recruitment into its armed forces. States that permit those under 18 years to be voluntarily recruited into their armed forces, are still required under the OP-CRC-AC to maintain various safeguards, in particular: to ensure the recruitment of those under 18 years is genuinely voluntary; that it is undertaken with the informed consent of the person’s parents or legal guardian; that persons are fully informed of the duties involved in military service; and that persons provide reliable proof of age prior to acceptance into military service.346 Coalition States, including Saudi Arabia, have also ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. . 238. As recognised in a range of international human rights instruments, children have the right to education.347 Education is to be directed at the full development of the child’s personality, talents, mental and physical abilities, as well as among other matters, developing respect for human rights and the preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in a spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of the sexes and freedom. 348 International humanitarian law also specifically provides that children affected by armed conflict must be provided with the care and aid they require, in particular education.349 1. Impact of the armed conflict on children 239. After six years of conflict, flagrant violations of child rights continue to cause irreparable harm and suffering to the development and lives of children in Yemen. Today, these children represent half of the 24.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Additionally, by virtue of their dependence on families and communities for support, care and protection, children in Yemen are often the secondary victims of violations against their families, teachers and doctors, whose loss of life or livelihood, detention, displacement, or other violations, affects their children, students and pediatric patients. 240. The behaviour of all parties to the conflict in hostilities affects and often violates children’s fundamental rights to life, health, development and protection from violence, injury and abuse, as well as their right to education. The Yemen Protection Cluster’s Civilian Impact Monitoring Project figures show that, from January to June 2020, children made up an average of 28 per cent of civilians killed and 30 per cent injured, across all types of armed violence and all parties to the conflict, including but not limited to airstrikes.350 The Group of Experts reiterates the need for all parties to guarantee higher protections for children in the conduct of military operations, by ensuring international humanitarian law is respected, in particular the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack.351 241. In several cases of unlawful attacks affecting civilians documented by the Group of Experts during this reporting period, children have been among the casualties. For example, on 14 February 2020, 19 children died and 12 others were injured in a coalition airstrike in Al-Jawf Governorate; while, on 24 September 2019, two consecutive airstrikes in Al-Dhale’e Governorate killed 4 children, and injured at least 10 others as detailed in paragraph 71 above.352 242. In June 2020, the Secretary-General delisted the coalition forces for the violation of killing and maiming children in the list annexed to his annual report on Children and Armed 345 The United Arab Emirates has not ratified the OP-CRC-AC. OP-CRC-AC, art. 3(3). 347 ICESCR, art. 13; CRC, art. 28. 348 CRC, art. 29(1). 349Additional Protocol II, art. 4(3)(a). See also ICRC Study on Customary International Humanitarian law, rule 135. 350 See Yemen Protection Cluster, Civilian Impact Monitoring Project (CIMP) monthly reports January – June 2020, https://civilianimpact.activehosted.com/archive/15 351 See A/HRC/42/CRP.1, para. 671. 352 Moreover, the Yemen Data Project reported on the impact of airstrikes on children in Yemen in 2019 and the first half of 2020, documenting a total of 106 children killed and 143 injured in air strikes, as well as 4 children allegedly killed in an airstrike in Sa’ada, on 15 June 2020. 346 64