Support Youth in Yemen Rebuild Their Lives

How can working with detainees help us create a truly peaceful world?

We are working in the Central Prison in Taiz Governorate, Yemen, where conflict has been ongoing for over 10 years, to deradicalize and reintegrate combatants of the Houthi armed group into society.


Progress in deradicalization and reintegration support at Detention Centre

In Yemen, where we began activities in April 2021, we implemented an initiative in Taiz Governorate to promote the social reintegration of surrendered Houthi combatants, including children, until September 2022. We accepted 100 children and young people who were former Houthi combatants, all of whom completed the program and returned to society.

As with our efforts in Somalia, we supported them as a good third party, listening to their pasts and thoughts, and providing care counseling, vocational training, basic education, religious re-education seminars, and outreach and follow-up support to their parents, helping them to rebuild their lives as young individuals.

Furthermore, since October 2022, activities have been carried out mainly targeting surrendered combatants who have voluntarily left the group, arrested and incarcerated prisoners, and detainees (prisoners of war) with no prison sentence. Compared to the activities carried out until September 2022, these activities are extremely sensitive, and as the centre is a high-security facility, it is only recently that photography has been allowed.

The recipients are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the extremely poor conditions they live in, so we first repaired the facilities and provided the materials necessary for the program, and are currently implementing care counseling, religious education and dialogue. Although we have just started and still face various obstacles, progress is steady.

The topics covered in religious education and dialogue are wide-ranging, including how to interact with non-believers, patience, sin and forgiveness, serving others, and the meaning of fasting. As an introduction, an Islamic teacher briefly explains verses from the Quran, followed by a seminar where participants can reflect on their own interpretations.

This approach helps students understand that there is not necessarily a single interpretation, but rather a variety of perspectives, and encourages them to apply these ideas to their own thinking, providing an opportunity to develop critical thinking skills.

In practice, religious education and dialogue have often been approached by directly rejecting the ideas imposed by non-state armed groups and forcibly attempting to “correct” them. However, this typically provokes resistance. That is why we emphasize freeing participants from these imposed beliefs and encouraging a more relativized understanding.

Through these efforts, they can respond calmly to the difficulties they face upon returning to society, allowing them to realize their own paths and achieve their full potential without relying on arms.

Join us in walking alongside them to make this peaceful transition possible!