A Sonnet to the Children of Yemen

Think and pray for the injured and dead; Innocent and helpless, the children who’ve died; Living their tortured lives in dread, Of bombs that fall, their lives denied. Children of Yemen are no more, Killed with vicious and monstrous intent; Defenceless and guiltless victims of war - Such fathomless depths of the world’s descent. So mourn and wail, whatever belief, Stand up, lament, renounce such horror; That causes for many, abysmal grief - By thoughtless actions that bring such terror. And now, whatever religion or creed, For mercy, justice and peace we plead. ‘It’s become one of the worst places to be a child in the world, the conflict in Yemen has gone from bad to worse” (David Morley, President and CEO of UNICEF Canada) Child rights violations have increased dramatically and children are facing significant psychological stress. Some 3 million children under 5 years and pregnant women require services to treat severe malnutrition. An estimated 1.8 million children are out of school due to fighting and insecurity. The statistics show that 1 in 20 children dies before the age of 5 (Madhok, 2016).