UNICEF LAMENT INCREASED GRAVE VIOLATIONS AGAINST CHILDREN, HARPS ON CHILDREN’S PROTECTION IN WAR AND CONFLICT
The United Nation’s International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has lamented the high rate of grave violations against children in Nigeria and the Sahel region, thus calling for action on their protection in war or conflict situations to surmount threats.
A statement signed by Anike Alli-Hakeem Communication Officer, Communications, Advocacy, and Partnerships UNICEF.
He noted that there are 391 verified cases of grave violations against 306 children in Borno, Adamawa, and the Yobe States due to insurgency mainly from ISWAP and other armed groups In Nigeria.
Anike said these violations have recorded a 56 percent increase against children (208) verified in 2020, stressing that the civilians and in particular the frontline humanitarian workers are the most targeted population in conflict areas in the West and Central Africa region despite their difficulties to deliver life-saving services and supplies to children in large parts of the Central Sahel and other conflict-affected areas of the region.
It noted that since 2005, West and Central Africa is the region with the second-highest number of verified violations with more than 67,000 verified grave violations, accounting for a quarter of all violations globally as conflict and insecurity have been the major drivers of population displacement, thus putting children at the risk of grave violations, even though the number doubles by 40 percent in the first quarter of 2022 compared with the last quarter of 2021.
However, the report has also recorded Hundreds of civilians, including children killed in recent attacks in Burkina Faso and Mali.
“Behind each of the violations detailed in the report is a child, his or her family, and members of a community whose lives are torn apart, sometimes forever. We cannot remain indifferent and silent. The killing, abduction, and rape of girls and boys are horrific crimes. The increase in verified grave violations in the Central Sahel over the last quarter and their devastating impact on the well-being of children shows the need and importance of continuing our efforts to provide care to the victims and advocate for their immediate end. Attacks on civilians including children must be stopped and all measures for their protection, including during military operations, must be taken,” said Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
Adding that “The annual number of verified violations in the world has gradually increased since 2005, surpassing 20,000 in a year for the first time in 2014 and reaching 26,425 in 2020. Between 2016 and 2020, the daily global average of verified grave violations stood at an alarming 71 violations. The elevated number of violations observed in recent years demonstrates the dramatic impact that armed conflict – and increasingly complex and protracted protection crises have on children.
The report notes that many children suffer from more than one violation, increasing their vulnerability. For example, abduction is often combined with or leads to other violations, particularly recruitment and use and sexual violence. Children – especially girls – who have been abducted and/or associated with parties to the conflict are exposed to elevated risks of sexual violence, including rape, sexual exploitation, and forced marriage.
The report found that grave violations against children were committed by States and non-State actors alike underscoring the importance of engagement with all parties to the conflict, to meaningfully end and prevent violations against children.
“Major humanitarian crises continue to unfold across West and Central Africa. The situation in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and multi-country emergencies, including crises in the Central Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin region, are having devastating consequences on children and communities. Beyond the consequences for the victims, grave violations of children’s rights are often accompanied by massive population displacements that increase the vulnerability of thousands of people and expose more children to other risks of violence.” said Ms. Poirier.
It harps on the need for a concerted effort to mobilize and accelerate action by all stakeholders, including parties to the conflict, States, and the UN Security Council, to enable the protection of children at local, national, regional, and global levels aimed at attaining the international human rights and humanitarian law.
