By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-05-17

ADEN -- The Houthis are forcing hundreds of thousands of public sector employees to work without pay under threat of imprisonment, even as the group systematically collects public revenues to fill its coffers, a recent report reveals.

The group's failure to compensate state employees, ongoing since 2016, amounts to "human trafficking" according to a report issued by the Mayyun Organization for Human Rights on May 1.

Most state employees in Houthi-controlled areas (472,000 in 2014) are affected, with only 3% now receiving salaries compared to 35% in government-held areas, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In Houthi-controlled areas, 54% depend on casual labor and 18% on food aid to survive, according to the FAO.

"The severe and ongoing violations of the economic and social rights of public sector workers are occurring in the context of a protracted armed conflict and institutional fragmentation," the Mayyun report said.

Work without pay

"The Houthis deliberately commit violations by forcing public sector employees to work without pay under threat," said Fahmi al-Zubairi, director general of the human rights office in Sanaa.

The violations include forced labor and threats of dismissal, imprisonment or prosecution of those who refuse to work without wages, he told Al-Fassel.

This constitutes a "flagrant violation of international human rights law," he said.

The Houthis have dismissed thousands of employees based on political affiliation while making illegal appointments outside the national civil service system, according to Mayyun's report.

This violates Yemen's international obligations against discrimination in employment, the report said.

Rising poverty levels

The Houthis' actions have driven the income of thousands of families below the poverty line, compelling many to take dangerous low-wage jobs or flee their homes, leading to community and family disintegration, al-Zubairi said.

Deputy Minister of Justice Faisal al-Majeedi noted the irony of the situation.

"A Houthi leader said countries collapse if employee salaries are not disbursed for three months, yet his group continues to rule and has not paid salaries for many years," he said.

The Houthis view state institutions as existing to serve their interests rather than those of society, treating employees as followers rather than citizens with rights, according to al-Majeedi.

The group does not provide basic services like electricity, he said, even as it profits from black market sales of oil derivatives.

Mayyun called for the immediate cessation of forced labor practices in Houthi-controlled areas, resumption of salary payments, and legal accountability for violations amounting to human trafficking crimes.