(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon partook today at the open debate in the Security Council on "Children and Armed Conflict," saying that the worldآ's children are increasingly under threat in theaters of war.
At the French-hosted debate, Ban noted that last year was considered one of the worst ever for children in areas affected by conflict, with up to 15 million children directly affected by the violence.
Children, he added, have the right to be protected in their schools, in their homes, in their communities, but increasingly, he warned, children are snatched from a normal life of school and family, abducted by armed groups and thrown into a life of violence and horror" in places ranging from Nigeria and South Sudan to Iraq and Syria.
Ban then emphasized in his speech that the children of the world should be "students, not soldiers." Speaking on behalf of UNICEF, the Deputy Executive Director Yoka Brandt said before the Council that this year the worldآ's youngest citizens in Iraq, Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria, Mali and Central African Republic are still being recruited into armed groups, used, orphaned, killed and their innocence is lost.
Action must be taken to end and prevent all grave violations of child rights, including the abduction and use of children by any party to conflict, be it a non-state armed group or national armed forces, she stressed.
On his participation, UK Permanent Representative Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said that whether in Syria, Yemen or Ukraine the Council must do its utmost to protect children and give a strong voice to the most vulnerable.
Denial of basic security allows non-state groups to flourish leaving 15 million children embroiled in major conflicts, he added.
"We must not lose sight of role that states play in enabling the growth of violent non-state actors," he said.
This year, resolution 1612 celebrates its 10th anniversary, as well as the first anniversary of the campaign "Children, Not Soldiers." Resolution 1612 of year 2005, condemned the recruitment and use of child soldiers by parties to armed conflict in violation of international obligations applicable to them and all other violations and abuses committed against children in situations of armed conflict.
The Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict Leila Zerrougui launched March 2014 "Children, Not Soldiers" campaign in cooperation with UNICEF. This campaign seeks to galvanize support to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children by national security forces by 2016.
Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen are the countries concerned by the campaign.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.