Arab youth in general face a challenging void, but the Yemeni case is uniquely severe due to the ongoing war since 2015. This war has led to the closure of many sports and cultural clubs, the suspension of recreational activities, and a sharp rise in unemployment. Consequently, many young Yemenis spend their time chewing khat, wandering the streets, or even joining combat fronts, increasing the risks of deviation, crime, and societal instability.

Young people in Yemen face monumental challenges due to this void. With youth making up 70% of the country’s population, statistics reveal that one-third of them are unemployed, creating a crisis that fuels feelings of frustration and despair.

This void often translates into negative behaviors that threaten societal stability, such as deviation, crime, extremism, and terrorism. It also weighs heavily on their mental health and hinders their ambition, leading to disorders like depression and anxiety.

A 2019 study on mental health in Yemen revealed alarming statistics:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects 45% of Yemeni youth.
• Depression affects 27%, anxiety 25%, schizophrenia 18%, and phobias 4%.

The Trap of Idleness: Breeding Ground for Deviance, Crime, and Mental Illness

Social studies agree that the phenomenon of idleness among Yemeni youth is not just a fleeting issue but a trap leading to deviance, crime, and mental illnesses, threatening their future and that of their society. Idleness provides a fertile ground for deviant behaviors. Youth deprived of positive activities may resort to prohibited behaviors such as drug abuse, theft, assault, and moral corruption, jeopardizing societal cohesion.

Additionally, frustration and despair stemming from unemployment can push youth toward crime as a source of income or as a means of expressing anger. The void also serves as fertile soil for extremist ideologies. Young people lacking proper religious upbringing may fall prey to extremists who exploit their emotions and misguide them, potentially leading them to violent acts that threaten societal security.

Studies also highlight idleness as a major factor contributing to mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. Feelings of boredom, loneliness, and hopelessness negatively impact mental health, potentially leading to destructive behaviors, including suicide.

Thus, the negative effects of idleness overshadow all aspects of young people's lives, from their mental health to their social behavior, hindering their progress toward success and development.

Mental Health Crisis in Yemen

According to reports by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) last year, Yemen suffers from a severe shortage of mental health services and resources:

• Seven million Yemenis required mental health care in 2024.
• There is only one psychiatrist for every 700,000 people, compared to the global standard of 40 psychiatrists per 100,000 people.
• Only 120,000 out of the seven million in need can access mental health services.
• At least one-third of Yemenis suffer from mental disorders.

Suicide Cases

UNFPA statistics also highlight an alarming spread of suicide cases in Yemen:

• More than 50 suicides or suicide attempts occurred in Houthi-controlled provinces in 2022.
• One suicide case every two days.
• Over five teachers committed suicide in Ibb Province in 2019.

These statistics emphasize the dire impact of Yemen's civil war and the void and unemployment among Yemeni youth, alongside the accompanying psychological and behavioral effects that threaten societal stability and future.

The Void and Youth Suffering

The war has caused the closure of many sports and cultural clubs, depriving youth of sports and activities that once filled their time positively.

Recreational activities such as cultural events, trips, and outings have also ceased, intensifying feelings of boredom and frustration.

The conflict has significantly increased unemployment rates, making it challenging for young people to find jobs that could productively occupy their time.

Almost all sports activities in Yemen have halted during the war, including leagues, football matches, and other games. For years, Yemen did not participate in any regional or international sports activities sine the eruption of war. The 2019–2020 season marked the first football league since sports activities stopped in 2014, following the Houthi takeover of Sana’a and the start of the war.

Undoubtedly, the suspension of sports activities since 2014 has had a profound impact on clubs and athletes, depriving them of training and match opportunities, leading to a decline in the country's sports standards.

Youth and Social Media

The misuse of social media, without ethical or value-based guidance, has led to a significant waste of time, the most precious human resource. Many young people have become mere consumers, neither benefiting themselves nor contributing to society.

A large segment of youth has retreated into isolation with these platforms, distancing themselves from societal issues. This detachment prevents them from engaging in the pressing issues of their community, depriving Yemen of a vital force in addressing its crises.

One specialized study noted that about 70% of Yemeni youth spend most of their time on social media, with no tangible benefits for themselves or society.

Another study found that social media addiction has significantly altered societal behaviors among Yemeni youth. Traditions like visiting during occasions and cooperating in crises have dwindled, as many youth don’t care anymore of crises and disasters even affecting their relatives. Many now content to send text messages as their maximum form of participation.

The increasing free time among Yemeni youth is closely tied to the country's economic crises and the widespread tribal conflicts. Finding effective solutions is impossible without addressing the civil and tribal disputes that act as the root cause, as these conflicts exacerbate unemployment, crime, drug abuse, and, most critically, the erosion of values and religious principles among many young people.

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Read the Article in Arabic

The French newspaper "Le Monde" published a report emphasizing the negative effects caused by Israeli occupation on higher education in Gaza, whereas all 12 universities in the region have been destroyed or seriously damaged.

The newspaper" reported how the Israeli occupation forces had destroyed all the institutions of higher education within the Palestinian territory killing three university presidents, some 100 deans, and university professors killed by Israeli force.

According to Bisan Al-Qulagh, gaining admission to a university in Gaza, for example, was hailed as a "gateway to independence" for Palestinians. She remembers how ecstatic she was, receiving the call with the news of her acceptance into the Clinical Pharmacy program in September 2021. Now, her university is nothing but a heap of rubble: the Israeli army bombed and eradicated it in December 2023, two months after the war on Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation army has, since destroyed or damaged, making strikes and shelling, 12 universities in Gaza. It is such that, almost 75% of the educational infrastructure regions stand to be affected, included in the above-listed educational establishments, the United Nations notes.

"Gaza used to be very beautiful. My university, not far from the sea, was very wonderful. Before October 7th, Gaza was that place," said Bisan, a 20-year-old student of Gaza. In Sharjah, which is in the United Arab Emirates, her father works. She said that while a bachelor's degree takes three years in this Gulf emirate, and more so in her case, "100,000 dirhams (25,000 euros)" would be lost and concluded, "We didn't have [the resources]," and this would probably explain why she was beside herself on obtaining a seat at one the universities in Gaza.

"I no longer know what to do with my life"

At eighteen years of age, she left the house of her parents and went on to live with her grandparents in the city of Gaza, residing very near to the university campus. Bisan had got accustomed to sharing videos of herself with friends through her Instagram, either at the university, in the classroom with friends, or even in the laboratory breathing in chemistry.

She had landed in Abu Dhabi at the end of February and was evacuated with her mother and sisters. "The two years I spent at the University of Palestine were the best thing that ever happened in my life. Today, I don't have a clue what my future will turn out to be. What would happen to two years of my studies that have no value anymore? Have they all gone to waste?" she asked.

Killing Over 95 Deans and Professors

Hence, the war in Gaza has changed the relationships between Israeli secular and religious. The Israeli strikes in Gaza were declared by the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, which published that these have destroyed the higher education infrastructures. Furthermore, It was calculated to be more than 200 million euros. It has killed at least three university presidents since October 7th, over 95 deans and professors, and forced around 88,000 students to suspend studies, joined by 555 other students deprived of travel abroad due to the violations.

Al-Isra University

In the first days of the invasion, the Israeli occupying forces converted some facilities in Gaza into barracks or prison cells before destroying them. The Al-Isra University, destroyed on the 17th of this month during bombardment, belongs to this group, images of which were shared on social networks. The management of the center affirms that, before the detonation, troops took ancient artifacts from the national museum installed in one of the wings of the institution.

This is what October 7th did. What if that hadn't happened, too? Also, its main campus is located in Gaza City, and one of its branch campuses is in the Maghazi area; all three of these facilities were bombed in three successive air strikes on October 11th, 4th, and 21st of November 2023. Before October 7th, Karam Jad Allah had just turned 22 and was a student majoring in French and English literature at Al-Azhar University. He intended to apply for a Master's degree in Law to a university in Brussels.

"We had top-level professors," said the young man, now a refugee in Rafah, where he distributes food for a charitable organization in the area. "Millions of dollars were invested in recent buildings in my university. There were a lot of trees. We used to have top-line professors. Sometimes after losing something, you come to realize how valuable it was."

 Differently, Zuheer Khaleel - the founder and first president of the Palestine University who fled from the sector to Egypt in November thanks to his British citizenship, repeats: "This senseless bloody war. " it is noteworthy to mention that Zaheer is a civil engineering doctor from a British university who went in 1989 to give his lectures in Gaza. He had seen many other wars shake the coastal region, but the scale of the current war greatly worried him about the future.

Khaleel told University World News: "What is happening in Gaza is a war on education. We built the academic infrastructure with our sweat, blood, and thanks to donations. It took us a long time to prepare the labs at our university since the equipment had to pass through Israeli customs. We have not completed our work to repair the damage from the previous war, in 2014. How long shall it take this time to rebuild everything?"

Among the most prestigious universities in the sector, the newspaper notes, was the Islamic University in Gaza, where, 68 years old, and a teacher in English literature, worked Akram Habib. The professor, who left for Turkey, says, "We created an elite in Gaza. My former students became ambassadors, lawyers, engineers, police officers, and teachers. And today, many of them have been killed."

Can the Israeli assassination campaign against Hamas have unexpected outcomes? The newspaper noted that "the college was a stronghold of pro-Hamas activities as the place where most of the executive directors of the movement studied, was bombed on October 11th, 2023." Habib responds to this, saying, "The Israelis say Hamas founded it, which is not true. But if this is true then why were other universities targeted in that manner? Why do we see Israeli soldiers photographed in front of its destroyed facilities? We can only think that this war has only one goal: to turn Gaza into an uninhabitable area."

Children's Determination

The kids in Wadi Al-Khalil town, are always one step ahead because they wake up early to attend a school under the auspices of the charity organisation, in the midst of the challenges of war and lack of formal education provision. The uniforms and bags the community is wearing can be interpreted as a symbol of their unity and determination in the time of adversity.

Community Initiatives

The charity school receives support from volunteers, either the local community members or the IDP(refugees who had resettled due to the ongoing war in Khartoum). Retired teachers are also involved as educators, counselors, vocational trainers, religious advisors, spiritual mentors, and integral facilitators in the program for the economically challenged students.

Supportive Environment

The school is sited in the little Wadi Al-Khalil region where it offers the children a safe environment for learning and growing. The building, that was donated by a generous donor, is a place that is home to all kinds of recreational activities.

Volunteer Efforts

Instances such as Rawan and Reem who were forced to drop out of the university and lose their jobs because of the war now help in teaching students. They provide students with courses in Arabic, English, theory of math, and Revelation, which enables them to keep up with the studies they miss.

Parental Concerns

Just as Manasek, parents wonder how their kids can succeed in the classroom amidst all those distractions. The center's courses serve to remind students of what they already know and also help them in the re-entry process into formal education once the war is over.

Challenges Faced

The education system in Sudan has been undermined by the war and the disruption caused has forced students to drop out of school completely Although other means such as e-learning might also help, there are infrastructural challenges as well as logistical problems that makes implementation difficult.

Government Response

Unfortunately, the government's decision to remain with distance learning rather than resuming schooling has worsened the situation, considering the fact that Khartoum's students are currently seeking education in other states.

 Schools have also been repurposed as shelters for displaced individuals, adding to the strain on the education system. Despite these challenges, the community's resilience and the dedication of volunteers continue to provide hope for Sudanese students seeking education in the midst of war.