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Security Council Adopts Resolutions on Children and Armed Conflict

The Security Council today adopted unanimously seven previous resolutions on children and armed conflict. It recognized attacks on schools and hospitals as a grave violation of children's rights, and called for perpetrators of such violence to be listed in the annual report.

The Council recognized schools and hospitals as safe havens for children, called for all parties to conflict that attack such facilities to be held accountable and that they be added to the list published annually by the United Nations of those who commit grave violations against children.

The list, contained in the Secretary-General's annual report on children and armed conflict, already names those parties which commit violations such as the recruitment of child soldiers, killing or maiming of children, and rape or other forms of sexual violence against children.

In the resolution adopted unanimously today, the Council - which has adopted seven previous resolutions on children and armed conflict - recognized attacks on schools and hospitals as a grave violation of children's rights, and called for perpetrators of such violence to be listed in the annual report.

"Places of learning and places of healing should never be places of war. It has sent a consistent and clear message: Protecting children in armed conflict is a peace and security issue, and the international community will not tolerate grave violations of this principle." - Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict hailed the action taken by the Council to expand the criteria for listing parties in the report.

According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), schools have become the target of violent attacks or threats by both State security forces and non-State armed groups in at least 31 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

"These horrific attacks are not only a violation of international and humanitarian law, they are a violation of our common humanity. And today, the Council has affirmed that attacks on schools and hospitals are attacks on children - and must be treated as such. For these grave violations are alarmingly common." -Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director

Source: United Nations