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SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- An issue connected to the deprivation of liberty of children for association with non-State armed groups is the recruitment and use of children under the age of 18 by government forces. Member States should be cognizant of the fact that when they recruit children under the age of 18, even in non-conflict situations, notwithstanding the provisions of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, this can be used by the leadership of non-State armed actors to legitimize their own actions. More children are thus likely to be encountered during military operations and detained by Member States. In this regard, the Special Representative calls upon Member States to consider establishing the minimum age for recruitment into the armed forces at 18 years, even if the children are not used in conflict.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Dialogue on the separation and handover of children has continued in the Central African Republic with the anti-Balaka and Révolution et justice, as well as with a number of ex-Séléka factions that expressed interest in signing an action plan. In Mali, the Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad and its coordinating body, the Coordination des mouvements de l'Azawad, began discussions with the United Nations regarding an action plan aimed at ending and preventing the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, and sexual violence and other grave violations against children; consultations were still ongoing at the time of writing, in December 2016. In Nigeria, a formal dialogue has begun between UNICEF and the senior leadership of the Civilian Joint Task Force, who have expressed interest in cooperating with the United Nations in halting child recruitment and use, and separating children, including through the formal signing of an action plan.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- While this international legal framework has sometimes been supported and enhanced by legislation and policies adopted at the regional, national and local levels, the present report has outlined how there is a disconnect between the internationally agreed standards for children's rights and their practical implementation in situations of armed conflict. In this regard, the Special Representative has continued to prioritize closer cooperation between her Office and international human rights mechanisms, in particular the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Human Rights Committee. Through State reporting mechanisms, treaty bodies have played an important role in identifying gaps between the legal and policy framework and the practice, and have made recommendations to address any shortcomings. The Special Representative is encouraged by the continued attention given to both progress and challenges in addressing the impact of armed conflict on children in State parties' reports reviewed by the respective committees. For example, in the reports of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/COD/3-5) and the Human Rights Committee (CCPR/C/COD/4), the State party referred to the progress achieved in implementing the action plan to end the recruitment and use of children and other serious violations of the rights of the child by the armed forces and the security services. In this regard, increased collaborative efforts between the State party, the Special Representative and relevant special procedures of the Human Rights Council have been highlighted as a way forward to put an end to the suffering of children caused by the armed conflict. As another illustration of mutually reinforcing messages, the situation of children affected by armed conflicts in the Central African Republic has been outlined in the report of the Government to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/CAF/2), and the Special Representative encourages the Committee and relevant actors to follow up in a timely manner, in particular through the adoption of strong concluding observations and by providing support for their swift implementation. The Special Representative also welcomes the collaboration with the Human Rights Committee, in particular through the list of issues in relation to the seventh periodic report of Colombia (CCPR/C/COL/Q/7) and the replies by the Government thereto (CCPR/C/COL/Q/7/Add.1), which resulted in a focus on the prevention of the use and recruitment of children by armed groups and on measures to prevent the involvement of children in intelligence activities or in civic-military activities. In addition, in its most recent concluding observations on Colombia (CCPR/C/COL/CO/7), the Human Rights Committee encouraged the State to continue and intensify its efforts to prevent the use and recruitment of children by armed groups, to provide adequate reintegration support and to guarantee that all children separated from armed groups are considered as victims.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Lastly, the Special Representative has been extensively involved throughout the reporting period in the Secretary-General's efforts to enhance the United Nations response to allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse. She has participated in the high-level steering committee on implementation of the recommendations of the report of the external independent review panel on sexual exploitation and abuse by international peacekeeping forces in the Central African Republic. The Office of the Special Representative has also taken part in various working groups, including on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2272 (2016), and was involved in the drafting of related documents on improving responses. For example, her Office was heavily involved in drafting the guidance on the preparation, deployment and repatriation of current or future United Nations peacekeeping operations.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- An important dimension of the Graça Machel study was the attention given to the distinct effects of armed conflict upon girls as compared to boys. In the past 20 years, there has been progress in addressing the impact of conflict on girls, including through developments in the normative framework and enhanced accountability efforts for the crimes of rape and other forms of sexual violence. However, a significant number of the challenges that were identified in the study two decades ago still remain, as the Human Rights Council acknowledged during the reporting period when it expressed outrage at the persistence and pervasiveness of all forms of violence against girls worldwide.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Personnes concernées
- Boys
- Girls
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative welcomes the recent ratifications of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and continues her call to States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the treaty, to enact legislation to explicitly prohibit and criminalize the recruitment and use of children by armed forces or groups and the use of children in hostilities, and to establish the minimum age for recruitment into the armed forces at 18 years, when depositing their binding declaration upon ratification of the Optional Protocol.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Given the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in October 2015 by Somalia, there is almost universal ratification of that treaty and the global normative framework to protect the rights of children is robust. However, the Special Representative continues to engage with Member States that have not already ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, with the aim of achieving universal ratification thereof and enhancing the legal protection of children's rights in conflict. In the reporting period, she held bilateral meetings with Member States and actively engaged with regional organizations, civil society and regional groups on the matter. Four additional countries - Brunei Darussalam, Guinea, Pakistan and Samoa - became States parties to the Optional Protocol during the reporting period.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- An ongoing concern in some contexts is the very definition of a child. While it is almost universally accepted at the international level that a child means every human being below the age of 18, in line with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, practice between and even within States is sometimes contradictory. Member States should take measures to close legal lacunae and ensure that the definition of a child is set at 18 years, in line with the international normative framework. Member States should also make additional efforts to ensure that the international obligations regarding the definition of a child are widely known and are adhered to by all national, regional and local authorities. A connected concern is the process for determining the age of a person who is allegedly associated with a party to a conflict. In many conflict settings, birth registration systems are lacking, and age assessment mechanisms are frequently inadequate and children are often presumed to be adults. In this regard, it is important for Member States to ensure adherence to the principle that if there is any doubt, the individual should be considered a child and protected as such.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- In a particularly important milestone in the reporting period, all Member States concerned by the "Children, Not Soldiers" campaign have now concluded a formal written commitment with the United Nations to end the recruitment and use of children in their security forces. In March, the Government of the Sudan signed its action plan; high-level and technical committees have been established to facilitate and coordinate the action plan's implementation. In 2016, progress has also been ongoing in other countries concerned by the campaign. For example, the Government of Afghanistan endorsed age assessment guidelines for use in recruitment processes for its national defence and security forces. The Democratic Republic of the Congo continued to make progress to address the remaining gaps to prevent the recruitment of children into the country's armed forces, including by realizing most of the goals of the 2015 road map that had been developed to expedite the implementation of the action plan. In Myanmar, 101 children and young people recruited as children were released from the army and reintegrated into their communities during the reporting period. Regrettably, the high levels of conflict intensity in Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen had a detrimental impact on children and continued to hamper progress on existing action plans. Despite positive developments in most countries concerned by the "Children, Not Soldiers" campaign, gaps nevertheless remain in almost all of these countries as regards ensuring systematic prevention and accountability in relation to the recruitment and use of children. Those gaps are outlined in the most recent report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (see A/70/836-S/2016/360).
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Youth
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has continued to work with regional organizations that have a mandate on conflict-related matters. In particular, engagement with NATO was ongoing, with a view to deepening the partnership on the issue of children and armed conflict and supporting the ongoing mainstreaming efforts. In January 2016, the Special Representative met in Brussels with the incoming Assistant Secretary-General for Operations and the Deputy Secretary-General to discuss ways to further strengthen the protection of children in NATO-led operations. She also briefed the Operations Policy Committee and underscored the responsibility and role of NATO in protecting children in armed conflict. During her visit to Afghanistan in February 2016, the Special Representative met with the Commander of the NATO Resolute Support Mission and the NATO Senior Civilian Representative to voice concerns about rising child casualties and to advocate for the appointment of an adviser on children and armed conflict, within the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. The position was filled in May 2016.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- In the same vein, the Office of the Special Representative has sustained its efforts to improve the principles of protection for children deprived of liberty in situations of armed conflict. In November, in Geneva, the Special Representative attended the twenty-fifth anniversary of the creation of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and emphasized the importance of focusing on children in efforts to end arbitrary detention. The Office of the Special Representative also worked closely with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime throughout the reporting period, including by providing child protection expertise at two workshops with government officials on the issue of children recruited and used by violent extremist groups, which were held in Amman and Dakar. The Office of the Special Representative also took part in an event in association with the steering group for the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles), at Wilton Park, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on protecting children from extreme violence, which focused on the treatment of those who have been recruited and used. The outcomes of that conference will be used to prepare for an event for the tenth anniversary of the Paris Principles, which will be held in Paris in February 2017. Lastly, the Special Representative also continued to contribute to the initial phase of the in-depth global study on children deprived of liberty, in line with General Assembly resolution 69/157, and took part in an event in November in Geneva with the independent expert and lead author of the global study, Manfred Nowak.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Since receiving a request from the parties in May 2015, the Special Representative has played an active role in the peace talks between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army. Important progress has been made during the reporting period, which is outlined in the present report in the section on field visits.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative welcomes the continued attention to both progress and challenges regarding the impact of armed conflict on children in States parties' reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Human Rights Committee. In this regard, all relevant Member States are urged to include, as appropriate, specific references to information on grave violations against children, on gaps in their applicable legal and policy frameworks and on accountability initiatives, in their own submissions to these bodies.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- In Afghanistan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen, the right of children to health has been severely compromised by attacks on hospitals and health-care professionals. A number of highly publicized attacks have taken place in 2016, which are indicative of trends that have seen increasing numbers of attacks and threats of attacks on health care in recent years. The right of girls to education has also continued to suffer, with attacks or threats of attacks on schools, teachers and female pupils in situations such as in Iraq, Nigeria and the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as in Afghanistan and Mali.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Girls
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- The Central African Republic was also a particular concern in 2016, and in the latter part of the reporting period the situation deteriorated significantly. Clashes between ex-Séléka factions in November in the east of the country resulted in many civilians, including children, being killed or wounded, and in over 11,000 persons reportedly being displaced. These clashes have added to the tension and violent outbreaks that have been ongoing throughout the reporting period. The prevailing insecurity led to the suspension of humanitarian activities in certain areas of the country, gravely compromising the right of children to health and well-being.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Despite the significant efforts to end impunity, girls continue to be targeted in incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence, often in order to terrorize, humiliate and weaken their communities. Armed conflicts are also characterized by a breakdown of the rule of law as well as of community structures; this exacerbates the vulnerability of girls to sexual violence, as armed elements can take advantage of the vacuum to commit human rights abuses. Violations of this nature are frequently compounded by an inadequate response to help survivors as well as children born of war. While the provision of dedicated services for girls has improved in recent years, there are still significant gaps in the form of non-existent, limited or disrupted access to essential services in some situations of armed conflict, as a result of a lack of medical workers, supplies and the necessary infrastructure and also due to insecurity and restrictions on movement. For example, the Special Representative notes that in 2016 in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, girls who have been abducted and suffered sexual violence by armed groups have rarely been able to access services, due to ongoing conflict.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Girls
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- In the light of the gravity and scale of the concern relating to children deprived of their liberty in situations of armed conflict, the Special Representative continues to bring this matter to the attention of the Human Rights Council. It is stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child that children must be detained only as a measure of last resort, in exceptional circumstances and for the shortest appropriate period of time. These provisions are recognition of the detrimental long-term impact that deprivation of liberty has on a child and his or her development, however for thousands of children around the world, these safeguards are compromised and their rights are denied, particularly in the context of counter-terrorism operations or other security responses.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Over the reporting period, the increased use of screening of civilians by government security forces or pro-government militias in situations such as those in as Iraq and Nigeria has been an emerging concern related to the deprivation of liberty of children. Centres have been established by parties to conflict in order to process civilians fleeing from armed groups. This practice has resulted in mass deprivation of liberty of civilians, including children, due to long processing times but also due to a presumption of affiliation with the very armed group from which they are fleeing. Screening has been undertaken by parties to conflict, including militias, who are poorly trained and, in many instances, lack the neutrality and capacity required to engage in a child-sensitive manner. Presumptions of affiliation have been based on broad categories, such as the age, gender or ethnic affiliation of the people being screened, and screening has also been used for intelligence gathering. This practice of screening and subsequent detention often violates the right to challenge the lawfulness of the deprivation of liberty before a court or another competent, independent and impartial authority. In some instances, the presumption of affiliation can also amount to a form of collective punishment. While the Special Representative is cognizant of the need to ensure the safety of civilians, she reminds Governments in conflict-affected countries of the importance of using civilian actors with child protection expertise to carry out screening and of adhering to the last resort and shortest possible time provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Screening without clear legal oversight also leaves children open to other violations, such as extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance and torture. In this regard, the Special Representative welcomes the continuing attention that the Human Rights Council has given to the issue of deprivation of liberty in its country-specific and thematic resolutions, which has included calls for accountability in instances of secret detention, torture and practices tantamount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including under the pretext of countering terrorism.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, one of the most disturbing trends documented in 2016, noted earlier in the present report, is the increasing incidence of attacks on health facilities, which has had a grave impact on children's right to health. Hospitals, ambulances and medical personnel have been attacked or threatened with attack in many countries that are on the children and armed conflict agenda, including Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Iraq, Libya, Mali, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen. The Special Representative has engaged strongly on this issue with parties to conflict and has taken part in a number of United Nations system-wide initiatives. For example, the Office of the Special Representative has supported the development of recommendations on measures to enhance protection of the wounded and sick and of medical personnel and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties, and of their means of transport and equipment and of hospitals and other medical facilities, including through recommendations to parties to conflict, in line with the request made by the Security Council in its resolution 2286 (2016).
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Concrete commitments also resulted during the reporting period from engagement by the United Nations with non-State armed groups, including the signing of two action plans. In the Sudan, following a meeting between the Special Representative and the Secretary-General of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, held in Addis Ababa in May 2016, and the engagement of United Nations partners on the ground, an action plan was signed in Geneva in November, on the margins of the Geneva Call meeting, to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children, and was witnessed by the Special Representative. In South Sudan, in January 2016, an action plan was concluded with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children and to ensure their release to child protection actors. The action plan also covers the killing and maiming of children, as well as other grave violations. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, in December 2016, little effective action had been taken by the group to implement the action plan.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative calls anew upon Member States to treat children allegedly associated with non-State armed groups primarily as victims entitled to full protection of their rights and to urgently adopt protocols for their handover to child protection actors. The Special Representative also urges the Human Rights Council, treaty bodies and the relevant special procedures to focus closely on the detrimental impact on the rights of children that results from exercises of widespread screening of civilians in situations of armed conflict.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- The World Humanitarian Summit, held in May 2016, also focused on increasing adherence to international law by parties to conflict. At the summit, the Special Representative took part in the high-level leaders' round table on upholding the norms that safeguard humanity, where she represented the United Nations and made commitments on behalf of the Organization to intensify the monitoring, investigation and reporting of violations and to engage in increased advocacy with parties to conflict when violations occur. At the same event, the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action was launched. This initiative will help to ensure that the many children who are permanently disabled during conflict, sometimes purely as the result of a lack of basic medical services to treat minor conditions, are not forgotten.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- In Somalia, also following the Special Representative's visit and wide-ranging advocacy efforts, 26 children aged between 12 and 14 who had been detained by authorities in Puntland for association with a non-State armed group were released; however, 38 children, assessed to be above the age of 14 and subsequently sentenced as adults, remained detained at the time of writing, some of whom have been condemned to death. In December, the United Nations was continuing efforts to secure the release of those children. These concerns are elaborated upon in the present report in the section on field visits. The release of the 26 children follows the handover to child protection actors of over 100 children detained in the Serendi and Hiil-Walaal centres as well as in Galmudug, in late 2015 and in 2016.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The complexity of dealing with the increasing number of parties to conflict has also been detrimental to the investigation of incidents when there are allegations of violations. Accountability remains key to ending grave violations, and the Special Representative sustained strong engagement to end impunity, including through advocacy with individual Member States to pursue national accountability initiatives. International initiatives to pursue accountability have also borne fruit in 2016, with the launch of a policy paper on children by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, in November. The Office of the Special Representative supported the development of this document, which will aid the inclusion of crimes in indictments where the evidence permits, as well as enhancing the Court's interactions with children as victims and witnesses. At the request of the Security Council, the Special Representative continued to brief sanctions committees throughout the reporting period and to provide them with information on grave violations committed against children, including the committees for South Sudan in March, the Sudan in April and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in November.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative continued to strengthen her partnership with the European Union, which is a key interlocutor that engages in human rights dialogue and capacity-building with many of the countries on the children and armed conflict agenda. In January she addressed the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence at an interactive session in which views and information were exchanged on the impact of armed conflict on children, the challenges of reintegration, and the challenges for Common Security and Defence Policy missions when they face issues related to children and armed conflict.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Despite the advances that have been achieved in those two decades, the basic rights of children were regularly violated during the reporting period. In the Middle East, in addition to the direct impact of current conflicts on children, with thousands being killed, maimed, and recruited and used, there were rapidly developing and evolving humanitarian crises that were of serious concern at the time of writing, in December 2016. In Iraq, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimated that over half a million children and their families were trapped in Mosul with food and medicine running out and clean water in short supply. In a similar vein, in the Syrian Arab Republic, it was estimated that, at the end of the reporting period, nearly 500,000 children were living in besieged areas and were completely cut off from sustained humanitarian aid. In Yemen, intense conflict has resulted in a lack of food and water, which has put one and a half million children at risk of acute malnutrition.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Families
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- In situations of displacement, girls are particularly vulnerable. In addition to discrimination related to race, religion or ethnicity, girls are also often subject to abuses based on their sex, and therefore to multiple forms of discrimination. For example, displaced women and girls face high risks of sexual and gender-based violence, as highlighted in the 2016 report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly entitled "In safety and dignity: addressing large movements of refugees and migrants" (A/70/59). These specific protection challenges must be recognized in order to mitigate the risks that girls are exposed to in situations of displacement. Member States are therefore urged to ensure that the needs of girls are addressed as part of their response both to refugees and to internally displaced persons. Protection measures should be implemented at all stages of the displacement cycle and girls who have suffered violations should be prioritized in refugee resettlement programmes.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Personnes concernées
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Education is a key component of empowerment, however in times of conflict, children's access to education is often severely restricted, with a particular effect on girls as their schools are often directly targeted by attacks. Even when schools are operating in situations of armed conflict where girls' enrolment rates were high prior to the conflict, some parents prevent girls from going to schools due to insecurity, or because the facilities have been used by armed actors. The military use of schools exposes girls to an increased likelihood of sexual violence by armed elements and also increases the likelihood of attack by other parties to the conflict. In addition, girls are sometimes given extra household responsibilities that oblige them to stay home. There is also increased vulnerability to forced early marriage in situations of conflict, which is at times encouraged by families with the aim of providing their child with physical and financial security and results in girls withdrawing from schooling. Forced marriage is another practice that has increasingly been used by armed groups as an expression of power and control over populations. Given these susceptibilities, it is important to develop protection and education programmes for conflict-affected girls in order to provide them with support and avoid long out-of-school interruptions. In this regard, the Special Representative welcomes the call by the Human Rights Council for all States to strengthen and intensify their efforts to realize progressively the equal enjoyment of the right to education by every girl and encourages a focus on girls affected by armed conflict.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- In November, the Special Representative was invited to the thematic debate of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, on protecting and promoting the rights of children during situations of armed conflict, foreign occupation, emergencies and disasters. She delivered an address in which she encouraged further interaction between her Office and the Commission. Pursuant to the cooperation agreement between the League of Arab States and the Office of the Special Representative, signed in 2014, the Office of the Special Representative also participated in the general meeting of cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States that was held in May 2016.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Personnes concernées
- Children
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The risk of trafficking from situations of armed conflict is a related issue of concern for the protection of girls, including during displacement. The Special Representative welcomes the Human Rights Council's call to Governments in June 2016 to ensure that the prevention of and responses to trafficking in persons continue to take into account the specific needs of women and girls and their participation in and contribution to all phases of preventing and responding to trafficking, especially in addressing specific forms of exploitation, such as sexual exploitation. The Special Representative has also undertaken a number of initiatives to support that aim, including contributing to the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of measures to counter trafficking in persons and addressing an event on the role of the United Nations in combating modern slavery and human trafficking in conflict, which was hosted in New York in November by the United Nations University.
- Organe
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Type de document
- SRSG report
- Thèmes
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Personnes concernées
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Année
- 2017
Paragraphe