 Afghanistan,
Burundi, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire,
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Iraq, Myanmar,
Nepal, Middle East, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan
& Uganda. For more information , visit the
websites of the UN
Department of Peacekeeping
Operations
& the
Department of Political Affairs
Situations of concern
Today, in over 30 situations of concern around the globe, children are being brutalized and callously used to advance the agendas of adults. It has been estimated that over 2 million children have been killed in armed conflicts; another 6 million have been rendered permanently disabled; and, more than 250,000 children continue to be exploited as child soldiers . Increasingly, children and women are the casualties of war. The fatalities of civilians is disproportionately higher than ever before in the history of warfare. Thousands of girls are being subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence and exploitation. Boys and girls are being abducted from their homes on an unprecedented scale.
The very places that should be the safe havens for children — their schools and hospitals — are increasingly becoming the prime targets of attack by armed parties. In many situations parties to conflict systematically deny humanitarian agencies access to territories under their control, with devastating consequences for civilian populations and especially children. In addition, the scourge of landmines claims the lives and well-being of an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 children each year. There are indications also that the trafficking of children in and from conflict zones is becoming a growing transnational trend, linked to elaborate international criminal networks. Such networks often fuel conflicts by facilitating the conversion of natural resources such as diamonds, coltan and timber into the very means and tools of war that have led to the increase in victimization and participation of children in conflict.
In his fifth report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict ( A/59/695-S/2005/72 ), the Secretary-General documented grave violations against children in 11 situations of concern, from Burundi , Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Somalia , the Sudan and Uganda , to Myanmar , Nepal , Sri Lanka , the Philippines and Colombia . Furthermore, the report explicitly cited 54 parties, both State and non-State actors, for the commission of grave violations against children. The Secretary-General indicated that the condition of children living in situations of armed conflict had improved considerably in several locations since his 2004 review, including in Afghanistan , Angola, the Balkans, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Liberia , Sierra Leone, Burundi, Kosovo (Serbia), and Timor-Leste. Eight parties were dropped from the Secretary-General's list of violators owing to changes in their conduct, two parties were added as the result of improved monitoring and reporting , and three parties were removed owing to a lack of verifiable information.
At the same time, the plight of children in the Middle East , especially the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Lebanon, has become even graver in the recent escalation of hostilities, and the situation for children has also continued to deteriorate in crisis areas and emerging situations of concern such as Darfur and eastern Chad. In other situations such as Haiti, where the dynamics of conflict are very different, children also face similar grave violations including systematic recruitment into armed groups, death and maiming either through direct involvement in violence or in the crossfire, abduction and kidnapping and sexual violence .
Key documents for the protection of children in armed conflict
At the international level the standards include the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and its Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (2000); the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998); International
Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child
Labor (1999); the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the African Child (1999); the Geneva Convention s (1949), Additional Protocol I &
Additional Protocol II (1977); and Security Council resolutions 1261 (1999) , 1314 (2000) , 1379 (2001) , 1460 (2003) , 1539 (2004) and 1612 (2005) , which are devoted to the subject of children and armed conflict.
In addition to these international instruments and norms, national legislation exists that provides for the protection, rights and well-being of children. There are also concrete commitments on children and armed conflict which have been entered into by parties to conflict.
Children in conflict with the law
Juvenile justice is a matter of practical concern in all regions and all legal systems. Large numbers of children become caught up in the legal system, as accused or accusers, victims or witnesses and in situations outside conflicts with the criminal law, such as asylum-seeking children, refugee and unaccompanied children, and children incarcerated with their mothers.
National laws need to be brought into full compliance with the
Convention on the Rights of
the Child , and all actions have to be taken with the best interests of the child as a primary consideration.
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