Viet Nam Human Rights
Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, made the appeal in presenting her annual report to the UN General Assembly, which covers the period from August 2020 to July 2021.
The report outlines large scales of grave violations against children, with the most prevalent being recruitment and use in hostilities, killing, maiming, and denial of humanitarian access.
Last year, the UN verified some 26,425 grave violations against more than 19,370 children. Most were boys, who accounted for 14,097 of the victims or survivors, while 4,993 were girls. In 289 cases the sex was unknown.
Overall, 8,521 children were recruited or used by parties to conflict, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Syria and Myanmar. Meanwhile. some 8,400 youngsters were killed or maimed, with Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Somalia remaining the deadliest conflicts for children.
Landmine danger persists
The ongoing killing and maiming of children by landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other explosive weapons and remnants of war, remains a particular concern, according to the report.
“Member States must sign and implement existing international legal instruments pertaining to these weapons and promote mine clearance and mine risk education,”said Ms. Gamba.
“More broadly, they must adopt and implement legislation criminalizing all violations against children as well as enhance accountability to end cultures of impunity and ultimately prevent the future occurrence of such crimes,” she added.
Pandemic heightens risks
The report found that the closure of schools and child-friendly spaces due to the pandemic, and loss of household incomes, has increased children’s risk of being recruited and used, sexually abused, exploited and forcibly married.
Ms. Gamba urged the international community to protect health care facilities and schools, with a specific focus on protecting girls’ education.
“Conflict-affected children have been the most affected by the pandemic, hence their needs must be at the centre of any COVID-19 recovery plan,” she said.
“Child protection activities and services must be considered as lifesaving and in this regard, I call on Member States to continue to provide political support and substantial funding to ensure their continuity,” she stressed.
Ongoing engagement continues
Despite pandemic restrictions, Ms. Gamba continued to engage with parties to conflict during the reporting period, albeit virtually, and to provide support to UN child protection staff on the ground.
The result has been at least 35 new commitments signed or adopted by warring parties last year alone, such as command orders, updated workplans, and mitigation measures during military operations.
Furthermore, ongoing engagement with countries, UN entities, and international, regional and sub-regional organizations, among others, helped to amplify advocacy efforts to end grave violations against children.
For example, Ms. Gamba and her Office continued to spearhead the Global Coalition for Reintegration of Child Soldiers, a 2018 initiative launched alongside the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, which published three briefing papers last year.
Translate promise into action
This latest report to the General Assembly was issued as the UN mandate on Children and Armed Conflict turns 25, thus highlighting the urgent need to prioritize protection for youngsters caught in war.
It points to areas for enhanced action, such as including dedicated child protection provisions and capacities in relevant mandates for UN field operations, namely peacekeeping and special political missions.
Ms. Gamba also highlighted priorities to strengthen the mandate’s impact, including data analysis and management for early identification of, and response to, grave violations.
“The 25th anniversary of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate must be seen as an opportunity for Member States to renew their commitment to protect boys and girls from hostilities and to effectively translate their promise into action, including by joining the ‘Act to protect children affected by conflict’ campaign,” she said.
All comments [ 20 ]
In conflicts across the world, children are on the frontline. In towns and cities, they are bombed in their schools and homes, or maimed by improvised explosive devices.
There may never have been a golden age in which respect for human rights protected children from war. But by any measure of suffering experienced by children caught up in conflict, we are living in a truly dark age.
Wars between states may have declined over the past 15 to 20 years, but conflicts within borders have multiplied, and become more urbanised and improvised, so increasing the dangers to vulnerable members of the population.
One of the defining features of this dark age is the culture of impunity surrounding those who deliberately harm or fail to protect children.
The only effective antidote to this culture of impunity is the rule of law enforced by effective institutions.
Protecting Children in Armed Conflict, the report summarised here, represents a comprehensive legal assessment of the relevant international law. It offers a re-examination of a critical but unresolved problem, and sets out proposals designed to end what has justly been described as 'the war on children'.
This is a considerable but vital challenge, and we are certainly not the first generation to grapple with it.
Children pay the highest price of humanitarian crisis. Armed conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies expose millions of girls and boys to unthinkable forms of violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect.
Many children are forced to flee their homes, some torn from their parents and caregivers along the way. In conflict, children may be injured or killed by explosive weapons and mines, including during attacks on schools and hospitals. They may be recruited by armed forces or armed groups.
Through it all, children lose critical health, education and protection services. Their mental health and psychosocial needs are often neglected, with devastating long-term effects.
Today, the average humanitarian crisis lasts nearly a decade – robbing girls and boys of their childhood and their future.
Children exposed to conflict, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises can suffer severe psychological and social consequences.
Millions of children around the world suffer unthinkable distress due to armed conflict, natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies.
During conflict, they may endure staggering violence, severe injuries and the threat of recruitment into armed groups. Many are cut off from fundamental services like clean water, health care and education, especially as towns become militarized and communities divided.
Children exposed to conflict face severe emotional stress that can result in lifelong mental health and psychosocial issues.
All too often, children with mental health conditions suffer stigma, discrimination – even human rights violations.
Crisis situations also put parents and caregivers under mental and psychosocial duress, which can prevent them from providing the protection, stability and nurturing care their children need during and after an emergency.
Alongside partners, we set up safe spaces that provide regular, structured activities to help children and adolescents develop skills to deal with crisis, solve problems, regulate their emotions, and form and maintain relationships. This could be through peer-to-peer groups, recreational activities, sports, and life-skills and vocational training.
We raise awareness of the distress reactions that children may have during humanitarian crises, promote positive parenting knowledge and skills, and train parents and caregivers in supporting children with mental health conditions.
children lose critical health, education and protection services. Their mental health and psychosocial needs are often neglected, with devastating long-term effects.
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