Albania’s delegate, expressing the view of many, stated: “A crime against a child is an affront to all of us, to humanity”. Speakers also discussed the report’s listing of a permanent Council member. The representative of the United Kingdom - Council President for July, speaking in her national capacity - stressed that these are “not just statistics” rather, they tell “the stories of real children and their families and communities”. In the ensuing all-day debate, more than 70 speakers voiced alarm over the scale of grave violations outlined in the Secretary-General’s report. “Peace doesn’t just happen when certain groups sign a piece of paper,” she said, stressing that a country that does not allow its youth and children to work towards building peace is “condemned to a future at war”. Despite the signing of a peace agreement, the conflict is still affecting communities in that country. “Due to recent escalations, we expect verified violations in at least some of these situations to increase over the coming months,” he warned.Īlso briefing the Council was Ms. Violeta, child civil society representative, who said that more than 3 million children and adolescents were victims to the conflict in Colombia due to recruitment, forced disappearance, kidnapping, displacement, murder and sexual violence. Omar Abdi, Deputy Executive Director at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), pointed out that the highest numbers of grave violations against children were verified in protracted conflicts, including those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Israel, State of Palestine and Somalia. In Sudan, 1 million children have now been displaced by the fighting, and hundreds of children have been killed or injured. The United Nations is also engaging with parties to the conflicts in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, she reported. In Iraq, the Government signed an action plan to prevent the recruitment of children by the Popular Mobilization Forces and repatriated 1,448 Iraqi children from north-east Syria. In 2022, 2,496 children were deprived of liberty for their actual or alleged association with parties to conflict.Īlso noting positive achievements, she spotlighted the situation in Yemen, where the United Nations signed an action plan with the Houthis to end and prevent violence. Further, instead of receiving protection, child victims are punished for their circumstances. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, told the 15-nation organ that the Secretary-General’s report on this topic (document A/77/895-S/2023/363) covers 27,800 violations against 18,890 children in 2022 - 8,630 killings or mutilations, 7,622 instances of recruitment and 3,985 abductions. Briefing the Security Council today, the senior official tasked with advocating for children in armed conflict noted that 2022 held the highest number of grave violations ever verified by the United Nations, with Government armed and security forces the main perpetrators of the killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access.
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