Article 11 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa — the Maputo Protocol — calls on State parties to ‘protect asylum-seeking women, refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons against all forms of violence, rape and other forms of sexual exploitation, and to ensure that such acts are considered war crimes, genocide and/or crimes against humanity and that th

We should also recognize the contribution made by the International Criminal Court in various situations, in particular by designating as war crimes acts that involve sexual violence against children, the recruitment of children under 15 years of age, or their use as active participants in armed conflicts.

Another relevant issue is the attention to be accorded to the effective reintegration of children who are linked to armed groups and those who have suffered other severe violations of human rights, in particular in cases involving sexual exploitation or abuse. I stress the crucial importance of effective disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes to the well-being of all children affected by armed conflict.

An alarming and growing number of children are being killed, subjected to sexual violence and rape, and recruited into armies and armed groups. In addition, unacceptable attacks on schools and their deliberate use for military purposes endanger children's lives and security, as well as their right to education.

When the 14 year-old Alhaji Babah Sawaneh testified before the Council in 2001, he said “taking my gun from me was a vital step” (S/PV.4422, p. 8). In that context, I commend the Special Representative for her “Children, not soldiers” campaign. Boys and girls belong in playgrounds, not battlegrounds. Around their young shoulders, they should have school backpacks, not ammunition belts.

Today, Syria is at ground zero of the most appalling humanitarian catastrophe of our era, and children, Syria's future, are among the principal victims. Since the civil war began, more than 10,000 boys and girls have been killed, more than 1.2 million have become refugees, and more than 3 million are unable to attend school.

My colleague's few issues are of a graver humanitarian concern than the impact of armed conflict on civilians. The horror is especially acute when the victims or the perpetrators are boys and girls. In recent years, the tragic connection between children and war has assumed a prominent place on the global agenda.

In recent months, the Central African Republic has also been the scene of horrific violence. The cycle of vengeance between the Séléka and anti-Balaka militias has been singularly repulsive in that nearly all of the victims on both sides have been unarmed. Children have been attacked, beaten, maimed, raped and killed, some by beheading.

When it comes to children's lives, no effort can be spared. It is also in our hands as Member States to support the implementation of the United Nations framework on children and armed conflict. The United Kingdom is doing its part. Foreign Office Minister Mark Simmonds has personally committed himself to work to release child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Chad and Burma.

No country emerging from war can, without risk, leave its young people on the sidelines without any future, knowing only a culture of violence. Programmes for disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating combatants must therefore take into account the specific needs of children, in particular young girls, who are even more severely affected than boys and whose reintegration is even more difficult.