The catastrophic effects that various forms of violence had on children around the world in 2021 are described in the annual UN report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which was published on Monday.
The paper lists a number of threats, including conflict escalation, military takeovers, long-running wars, fresh conflicts, and transgressions of international law.
The protection of children was also damaged by intercommunal and cross-border violence, particularly in the Central Sahel and Lake Chad Basin regions.
The report lists nearly 24,000 confirmed grave crimes against minors, or 65 violations on average each day.
The most serious breach that had been confirmed to have taken place was the death and maiming of children, followed by the recruitment and use of children and the denial of humanitarian access.
Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen were the nations where children suffered the most severe violations in 2021.
Lifelong scars
Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, remarked, “There is no term powerful enough to express the horrible situations that children in armed conflict have faced.”
“Those who survived will have severe physical and emotional scars for the rest of their lives.
However, we must not let these figures undermine our efforts.
They should act as motivation to strengthen our resolve to put a stop to and prevent serious abuses against children.
This report serves as a wake-up call for us to step up our efforts to better safeguard children caught up in armed conflict and make sure they have a chance to rehabilitate and prosper.
When creating prevention and response methods, Ms. Gamba stated that it’s crucial to recognize that boys and girls frequently face different hazards.
Ukraine is one of the newest issues.
In 2021, two types of violations experienced a sharp rise: abduction and sexual violence, including rape, which both increased by 20%.
Additionally, there was an increase in attacks on schools and hospitals, which the pandemic made worse. More than 2,800 children were detained because to their actual or claimed affiliation with conflicting groups, making them especially susceptible to mistreatment such as torture and sexual assault.
Due to the severe effects of hostilities on children there, the Secretary-Annual General’s Report has added Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Ukraine as situations of concern.
Similar to his recommendation for the Lake Chad Basin region in 2020, the Secretary-General also asked for increased surveillance of crimes against children in the Central Sahel Region.
There must be peace’
Despite the high list of breaches, some areas saw development.
In total, 12,214 kids were freed from military forces and organizations in nations like the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, and Syria.
The Special Representative stressed the value of giving youngsters who have been released from the armed forces and other organizations the right kind of care so they may reintegrate into their communities.
Ms. Gamba continued, praising the current cease-fire in Yemen’s conflict as an illustration, “Parties engaged in peace processes and discussions should consider integrating the rights and needs of children into their negotiations as well as their final agreements, as it remains the only way to achieve a sustainable peace.”
Children are the first to suffer the devastating consequences of this loss of serenity, she said.
“Taking action to protect our children and assure their safer and brighter future is more important than ever.”