On a cold night, at around 1 am, Ahmad Sayani, 26, was getting ready to close the barbershop where he works, located on Marib Street in the middle of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, when suddenly three drunk teenagers, the oldest no more than 16 years old and with a metal bar tucked under his arm, entered the store and hurled profanities at Sayani who quickly kicked the three children outside.

It has become all too common for Sayani, who blames parents’ negligence for this phenomenon. Minors and adults frequently loiter in the streets or fight with shop owners who accuse them of stealing, Sayani has witnessed, he says.

Two nights ago, he told The Media Line: “I saw a boy trying to steal from a truck loaded with fruits and then he ran away.” He added: “There are gangs of delinquents, most of whom are under 18 years old, who practice stealing and chew qat” – a mildly narcotic plant that is widely sold and consumed in all parts of Yemen – “and drink alcohol. What’s dangerous is that some of them carry weapons as a kind of thuggery, to hold up their victims – shop owners and small business owners – while exploiting the security deterioration in the country.”

He also explained that some of those gang members are connected to Ansar Allah, the Islamic group known as the Houthis, which dominates all the security aspects of Sanaa and the north of the country, and which according to Sayani “provides them with a kind of indirect protection.”

This is just a sample of the rising levels of juvenile delinquency in Yemen during the past five years, caused by the tragic conditions the country faces, as well as the economic deterioration which has contributed to the spread of theft and violence in an unprecedented way.

The war conditions also have driven thousands of minors and school children to practice begging and to drop out of school, as well as to join gangs or, in the best–case scenario, work for low wages.