Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict, July 2011

Forty-four per cent of all child casualties are caused by improvised explosive devices and suicide attacks, which are increasingly intended for soft targets such as civilian roads, schools and health clinics. Children, women and other vulnerable groups are the prime victims of such attacks.

Violence against children through sexual, physical and domestic abuse is an abomination and against national law. Sexual violence, including pederasty in its local form, which is widely sensationalized in media reports, is a crime that incurs serious punishments under the Afghan legal system. Though such problems are not unique to Afghanistan, we are taking all necessary steps to stop this illegal, un-Islamic and immoral practice.

The increase in attacks on schools and hospitals, including the specific targeting of girls, are deeply worrying and need to be clearly condemned. The further expansion of the triggers requires an increased monitoring and reporting capacity by the United Nations.

First, Japan is deeply concerned about the reported trend of an increasing number of attacks on schools and hospitals during conflicts. We strongly condemn the perpetrators of such attacks, in particular those who target female students and girls' schools.

Allow me briefly to dwell on the issue of attacks against schools. As is clear from the report of the Secretary-General, we are witnessing on an increasingly frequent basis the destruction of schools and attacks on students and their teachers. In certain cases, girls' schools are specifically targeted. Insecurity prevents parents from sending their children to school for fear that their health or even life might be at risk.

Violence against children through sexual, physical and domestic abuse is an abomination and against national law. Sexual violence, including pederasty in its local form, which is widely sensationalized in media reports, is a crime that incurs serious punishments under the Afghan legal system. Though such problems are not unique to Afghanistan, we are taking all necessary steps to stop this illegal, un-Islamic and immoral practice.

Bosnia and Herzegovina attaches the utmost importance to the protection of children affected by armed conflict, and strongly condemns all situations, including recruitment, killing, maiming, rape and other sexual violence, attacks on schools and violations of international law committed against children in conflict hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access.

We are also confident that resolutions 1882 (2009) and 1960 (2010) have contributed to establishing practical means to bridge the difficulty of collecting, systematizing and verifying information on sexual violence in conflict situations, while retaining the separate focus of each mandate. In that regard, we also fully support the cooperation between the Special Representatives for Children and Armed Conflict and for Sexual Violence in Conflict regarding parties responsible for rape and sexual violence. We also support and emphasize the importance of the work of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflicts.

Moreover, the increased interaction between the latter and the Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict should be emphasized, since they deal with two sides of the same coin.

Special attention should be paid to the scars that the experience of violence has left them with, and of course even more attention and care are needed if they have been subject to sexual violence.

In a more comprehensive manner, we believe that the six grave violations enumerated in resolution 1612 (2005) are of equal gravity and should be accorded the same attention by the Working Group. These are: killing and maiming of children, recruitment and use of child soldiers, rape and other forms of sexual violence against children, abduction of children, attacks against schools or hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access to children. We look forward to the day when the criteria for listing in the annexes of the Secretary- General's report will be extended to all these six violations.

As my country has indicated on several occasions, crucial to addressing this problem and the issue of sexual violence against children in conflict is the possession of information that makes it possible to adopt preventive measures that allow for a rapid and effective response. It is necessary to continue to explore mechanisms that allow for a reliable exchange of information on acts of sexual violence, in order to take action to reduce and combat this scourge

My delegation believes that this exchange of information must be substantively strengthened among United Nations agencies, the various Security Council committees and the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. Of equal importance is capacity-building and awareness-raising of military personnel deployed in the field so that they can adequately respond to situations involving sexual violence

Apart from what I have referred to, in many armed conflicts grave violations are committed against children including, in particular the recruitment and use of children, the killing and maiming of children, rape and other sexual violence against children, the abduction of children, attacks on schools and hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access to children by parties to armed conflict, in contravention of applicable international law. In that regard, I particularly urge the concerned parties to protect educational and health institutions and related personnel from such attacks. We also welcome the adoption today of resolution 1998 (2011) in this connection.

Kyrgyzstan welcomes the signing of the new plans of action mentioned in the report. We join the call of the Secretary-General to the parties involved in the recruitment, use, killing and maiming of children, as well as in committing sexual violence against them, to finalize plans of actions as soon as possible, in close cooperation with the relevant United Nations country task forces.

It is important to remember that, as we sit in the Chamber today, children are still being forced out of classrooms and playgrounds and onto battlefields. They are suffering the vilest forms of sexual abuse and rape. They are being disfigured, maimed and even murdered. The Council's actions can improve the lives of those children, as has been demonstrated through its institutional innovations, such as the creation of the monitoring and reporting mechanism and through the consolidation and implementation of the protection framework. But, as always, more concrete action can be taken that will improve the lives of children affected by conflict, including girls, minorities such as indigenous children and children with disabilities.

Nigeria unequivocally endorses the cooperative approach to child protection that features prominently in the report of the Secretary-General. We are unequivocal in our support for the highly effective partnership between the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, as well as the functional partnerships between UNICEF and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Important progress has been made over the past year. We welcome the expansion of the triggers for listing to include the killing and maiming of children, rape and other sexual violence. We also welcome the exchange of information among the sanctions committees.

To date, more than 7 million boys and girls are enrolled in schools, investing in their futures. We have constructed more than 4,000 schools across the country; we predict having nine million children enrolled in schools by 2020; and in a country where practically no girls received education just 10 years ago, over 40 per cent of these new students will be girls.

Targeting schools also has far-reaching and damaging repercussions on development. Indeed, the World Bank, in its report on education in the Middle East and North Africa, argued that the provision of education, particularly for girls, is the single most effective intervention that countries can make to improve human development and to tackle conditions of fragility

We are also confident that resolutions 1882 (2009) and 1960 (2010) have contributed to establishing practical means to bridge the difficulty of collecting, systematizing and verifying information on sexual violence in conflict situations, while retaining the separate focus of each mandate. In that regard, we also fully support the cooperation between the Special Representatives for Children and Armed Conflict and for Sexual Violence in Conflict regarding parties responsible for rape and sexual violence. We also support and emphasize the importance of the work of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflicts.

Moreover, the increased interaction between the latter and the Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict should be emphasized, since they deal with two sides of the same coin.

My delegation believes that this exchange of information must be substantively strengthened among United Nations agencies, the various Security Council committees and the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. Of equal importance is capacity-building and awareness-raising of military personnel deployed in the field so that they can adequately respond to situations involving sexual violence

Apart from what I have referred to, in many armed conflicts grave violations are committed against children including, in particular the recruitment and use of children, the killing and maiming of children, rape and other sexual violence against children, the abduction of children, attacks on schools and hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access to children by parties to armed conflict, in contravention of applicable international law. In that regard, I particularly urge the concerned parties to protect educational and health institutions and related personnel from such attacks. We also welcome the adoption today of resolution 1998 (2011) in this connection.

It is important to remember that, as we sit in the Chamber today, children are still being forced out of classrooms and playgrounds and onto battlefields. They are suffering the vilest forms of sexual abuse and rape. They are being disfigured, maimed and even murdered. The Council's actions can improve the lives of those children, as has been demonstrated through its institutional innovations, such as the creation of the monitoring and reporting mechanism and through the consolidation and implementation of the protection framework. But, as always, more concrete action can be taken that will improve the lives of children affected by conflict, including girls, minorities such as indigenous children and children with disabilities.

Nigeria unequivocally endorses the cooperative approach to child protection that features prominently in the report of the Secretary-General. We are unequivocal in our support for the highly effective partnership between the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, as well as the functional partnerships between UNICEF and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Last but not least, the Human Security Network invites the Council to enhance its efforts in order to approach the protection of civilians in a more systematic and coordinated manner, taking into account the situation of children and women. We therefore appreciate the fact that consultations on how to foster such synergies were held under Brazilian presidency of the Council in February. We encourage further discussions on this issue and call on members of the Council to be as inclusive as possible.

Important progress has been made over the past year. We welcome the expansion of the triggers for listing to include the killing and maiming of children, rape and other sexual violence. We also welcome the exchange of information among the sanctions committees.