A/70/162 by the Special Representative’s mandate. It is particularly worrisome that the number of children arrested and detained in the context of counter -terrorism operations has increased significantly. In such contexts, but also in more traditional conflict settings, children are no longer seen as victims but are treated as security threats. In many cases, they are either held under the authority of military actors or are handed over to national security agencies that deprive them of their liberty for long periods. Children associated with parties to conflict should be treated as victims and handed over to child protection actors. In circumstances in which children are accused of a crime, any legal process should be conducted in compliance with due process and juvenile justice standards. Accordingly, the detention of children should always be a last resort, for the shortest time possible and guided by the best interests of the child. Those principles apply to any form of deprivation of liberty, be it detention under security charges, administrative detention or deprivation of liberty for the child ’s own protection or rehabilitation. 15. In order to ensure the adequate treatment of children separated from armed groups, the Special Representative advocated with the Member States concerned for standard operating procedures for the handover of children to child protection actors. In September 2014, the United Nations and the Government of Chad signed a protocol on the handover of children, which included specific provisions regulating detention. Those standard operating procedures build on previous agreements signed with the Governments of Mali, Somalia and Uganda in recent years. Child protection provisions have also been included in the concept of operations of the Multinational Joint Task Force to fight Boko Haram/JAS. The Special Representative encourages all Member States to develop such standard operating procedures where applicable to prevent the detention of children and protect their primary status as victims. 16. The Special Representative continued to advocate for the strengthening of legal frameworks to ensure the protection of children deprived of their liberty in times of conflict. To that end, the Special Representative participated in the consultation on the right to challenge the lawfulness of detention before courts, which was organized by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Geneva in September 2014. The Office of the Special Representative also contributed to the draft basic principles and guidelines that the Working Group will submit to the Human Rights Council in 2015. The Special Representative anticipates that the documents will provide important guidance on addressing the issue of the detention of children in arme d conflict. 17. The Special Representative welcomes General Assembly resolution 69/157 on the rights of the child, in which the Assembly invited the Secretary -General to commission an in-depth global study on children deprived of liberty. Her Office has taken part in the initial phase of and continues to contribute to the study, in close cooperation with relevant United Nations agencies and offices outlined in the resolution. Rights to education and health in situations of armed conflict 18. The General Assembly has recognized that attacks on education and health -care facilities deprive millions of children of their rights to healthy lives and to learn and realize their potential. This not only has an immediate impact on children, but also affects the future prospects of societies. In line with its recent debates and resolutions on education in emergencies and attacks on medical facilities, the Assembly welcomed the issuance of the guidance note entitled “Protect schools and hospitals: 15-12221 5/17