A/HRC/39/43 89. The Group has also investigated allegations of sexual violence committed by Security Belt Forces in the Al Basateen area of the Dar Saad district of Aden. Since 2017, Security Belt Forces have controlled the area from a base in Al Basateen Police Station. The area hosts a population of at least 40,000 refugees, internally displaced persons and marginalized Yemenites. A majority of the population are Somali refugees who have been in Yemen for many years. 90. Victims and witnesses described to the Group of Experts persistent and pervasive aggressive behaviour, including sexual violence, perpetrated by the Security Belt Forces against the population. Examples include rape, arrest or abduction, disappearances and extortion. 91. One common practice involved security forces abducting and raping women, or threatening to, as a way to extort money from their families and communities. Security forces reportedly entered homes at night and took women to rape. Community leaders estimated receiving steady reports of sexual violence every few nights. The authorities did not conduct investigations or make arrests in relation to these violations. Violations continued as of May 2018. 92. There are reasonable grounds to believe that government personnel and Security Belt Forces have committed rape and other forms of serious sexual violence targeting vulnerable groups, including foreign migrants, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups, including women and children. The Government is responsible for violations of international human rights law and, as these appear to be conflict-related, international humanitarian law. Other States may also have responsibility. 93. Furthermore, individuals may be responsible for the war crimes of committing outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment, as well as rape and other forms of sexual violence. 94. In addition to the foregoing, the Group of Experts has received allegations of sexual violence committed by several parties to the conflict in Yemen, dating from 2015 to 2018. The violations verified in the present report are indicators that there may be more sexual violence by parties to the conflict requiring further investigation. 6. Child recruitment and use 95. The Secretary-General reported 842 verified cases of recruitment and use of boys as young as 11 years old in Yemen in 2017 (see A/72/865-S/2018/465). Nearly two thirds of these cases were attributed to the Houthi-Saleh Forces, with a substantial increase in the number attributed to the Security Belt Forces and the Yemen Armed Forces as compared with 2016. The United Nations also documented the deprivation of liberty of boys by armed forces and groups for their alleged association with opposing parties. The Group’s investigations into the recruitment and use of children revealed similar concerns. 96. The Group of Experts received substantial information indicating that the Government, the coalition-backed forces and the Houthi-Saleh forces have all conscripted or enlisted children into armed forces or groups and used them to participate actively in hostilities. In most cases, the children were between 11 and 17 years old, but there have been consistent reports of the recruitment or use of children as young as 8 years old. The Group found reliable information on the use of children in many conflict-affected governorates. 97. According to witnesses and sources, in some areas Houthi-Saleh forces forcibly recruited children in schools, hospitals and door to door. In other areas, Houthi-Saleh forces relied on appeals to patriotism and financial incentives to attract child recruits. Moreover, Houthi-Saleh forces have used children in combat, at checkpoints and to plant explosive devices. 98. Sources alleged that pro-government forces recruited particularly vulnerable children in the internally displaced camps in Ma’rib, and offered significant payments for child recruits. Pro-government forces frequently used children in support roles, although they have also been used in combat on the front lines, such as in Shabwah and Hudaydah. 13