A ‘bold and determined’ step is needed to protect the children of a war

Presenting her latest annual report, Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, called for “bold and decisive action” to protect boys and girls at risk of death, recruitment, rape and trafficking. other.

The report covers 26 locations in five regions of the world, which is another high representative.

Countries include Ethiopia, Mozambique and Ukraine, which are being featured for the first time. New situations in Haiti and Niger are mentioned and details will appear in next year’s edition.

Killed, recruited, stolen

The United Nations has confirmed that 18,890 children suffered from war-time atrocities in 2022. About 8,630 were killed or maimed; 7,622 were recruited and used in combat, and 3,985 were kidnapped.

Ms. Gamba said these three crimes were verified at the highest levels, and all increased in the last year.

“Children have been killed or injured in airstrikes, by explosive weapons, by live ammunition, in crossfire, or in direct attacks. In many cases, they fall to the remnants of explosive war,” he said.

Rape and sexual slavery

Furthermore, 1,165 children, mainly girls, were forced to have sex, gang rape, forced into marriage or sexual slavery, or participation. Some incidents were so intense that the victims died.

The UN chief stressed the need not to forget that these numbers represent actual children and do not tell each story.

He cited the case of three young women in South Sudan who were raped by the army for five days, a 14-year-old girl kidnapped and burned alive in Myanmar, and some boys who they killed a school with a bomb. in Afghanistan.

The eyes behind the figures

“This is why we must remember that behind the figures are the faces of children who suffer armed violence around the world. We must do more to prevent and protect our children from the ravages of armed conflict,” he said.

Ms. Gamba also noted that some of the injured children were punished for their conditions instead of receiving protection. Last year, 2,496 children were released for actual or alleged association with groups to the conflict.

“Since they are particularly vulnerable to the authorities, children in detention are exposed to further violations of their rights, including torture and sexual violence. In some cases, they have even been sentenced to death,” he said.

Schools and hospitals attacked

The report also shows verified attacks on 1,163 schools and 650 hospitals in 2022, representing a 112 percent increase on the previous year. Half of these attacks were carried out by Government forces.

He said the use of schools and hospitals for military purposes was also a major concern, with a “sharp increase” of more than 60 percent in cases last year, both by the military and paramilitary groups. .

Help under fire

Meanwhile, humanitarians and the vital aid they provide – often the “only hope” for children and communities affected by conflict – have come under fire.

The UN confirmed more than 3,930 cases of denial of humanitarian access to children last year. Aid workers were also killed, assaulted and abducted, while humanitarian aid was confiscated and property and essential supplies were destroyed.

The Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Omar Abdi, also told the Committee.

He recalled that the highest numbers of serious crimes against children were observed in protracted conflicts, including in places such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel and Palestine, and Somalia.

Attention for Sudan

Although the current conflict in Sudan is occurring outside the reporting period, UNICEF is still deeply concerned about its impact on the 21 million children there.

“More than a million children have now been displaced by the conflict and the UN has received credible reports, under investigation, that hundreds of children have been killed and injured,” he said.

Mr. Abdi said that the United Nations Convention on Children and Armed Conflict is effective, noting that the armed forces have released 180,000 men and women from their positions over the past twenty-three years.

However, he said that “as the number of countries on children and armed conflict grows, so do the number of children who need our protection and support”, urging greater international support for UN efforts.