Sp. Representative of Children in Armed Conflict tells SecCo there had been a “horrific toll” on children in the Gaza conflict – Press release (excerpts)


Security Council

SC/11552


Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York


Security Council

7259th Meeting (AM)

GAINS MADE PROTECTING CHILDREN IN SITUATIONS OF ARMED CONFLICT OVERSHADOWED

BY NEW GLOBAL CRISES, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL

Acknowledgement of Abuses Not Enough

Survivor Says, Calling for Perpetrators to Be Held Accountable

In an all-day debate in the Security Council, over 60 speakers urged accelerated action to prevent and ensure accountability for the killing, recruiting and other abuse of children in situations of armed conflict that continued despite greater awareness of the scourge.

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Briefings

LEILA ZERROUGUI, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict…stated that there had also been a “horrific toll” on children in the conflict in Gaza.  Casualties had surpassed previous escalations in 2008-2009 and 2012 combined.  Since the beginning of July, this year, more than 500 Palestinian children had been killed and at least 2,106 injured and maimed by Israeli forces.  At least 244 schools, including 75 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), had been shelled by the Israel Defense Forces.  Access to education in Gaza was severely affected and would remain limited for the foreseeable future.  In addition, medical personnel had been killed and half of Gaza’s hospitals damaged.  Hamas rocket fire had killed one Israeli child and injured six others since the beginning of July, and the indiscriminate firing of rockets against civilian areas had damaged three schools in Israel.  She called for the events in Gaza to be thoroughly investigated and for the perpetrators to be identified from all parties to the conflict and held accountable.

Statements

JEAN ASSELBORN, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg, said that, despite the many resolutions adopted by the Council on children and armed conflict, young people continued to pay a very heavy price during conflicts.  Recounting that children were being killed, maimed, abducted, sexually abused, recruited by Government forces and non-State actors alike in Syria, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Gaza and Iraq, to name a few, he stressed the importance of ensuring that group’s right to education.  “The ignorance stemming from a deficit of education fosters intolerance and perpetuates the cycle of poverty, thus contributing to feeding the violence,” he stated.

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DINA KAWAR ( Jordan)…On the Palestinian territories, she expressed worries about new generations of extremism being produced by what she called brutal Israeli practices in Gaza and elsewhere.  Her country would continue to support efforts to end violence against children in armed conflict.

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RON PROSOR ( Israel) said that, during the summer, over 3,800 rockets and mortars had been fired into his country, landing on kindergartens, playgrounds and homes.  His Government was committed to upholding international law and ensuring the protection of civilians.  However, radical extremist groups, such as Hamas, used civilians to achieve their goals, deploying minors as suicide bombers and recruiting them to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.  In the recent escalation, they had booby-trapped hundreds of Palestinian homes and had launched M-75 rockets from a children's playground, among other activities.  Hamas, as well, had rejected textbooks UNRWA had recently tried to distribute to teach Gaza's children about human rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Over 100,000 Palestinian children had graduated from Hamas' paramilitary camps which encouraged teenagers to “follow in the footsteps of the suicide martyrs”.  He called for Palestinian leadership to teach its children tolerance, coexistence and mutual understanding.

ALYA AHMED SAIF AL-THANI ( Qatar) noted the importance of the campaign “Children, Not Soldiers”, stating that it came at a critical time.  The Secretary-General's report “painted a very painful portrait” of children suffering around the world, including many in the Arab world.  Palestinian children were not immune to that suffering, due to the Israeli aggression, which had committed grave violations, with armed forces indiscriminately attacking civilian areas.  She condemned the repeated attacks against UNRWA schools and the use of those institutions by parties to the conflict.  

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GHOLAMHOSSEIN DEGHANI (Iran), speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, said that, despite efforts around the world and measures taken by the Security Council and humanitarian institutions, armed conflicts continued to take a heavy toll on children, in particular, those in occupied Palestinian territories.  He called for Israel to be held accountable for crimes against the Palestinian population and for the destruction of Gaza's infrastructure.  The Council should bring an end to such violations and the principles of proportionality and the prohibiting of attacking civilian areas needed to be adhered to.

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DESRA PERCAYA ( Indonesia), speaking on behalf of OIC, described Islam's prescription of protection of children and the rights the religion granted those young people.  He was appalled at the consequences borne by children when armed conflicts broke out.  The Organization of Islamic Cooperation opposed violence and perpetrators of hostilities against children had to be held accountable.  Peaceful resolution of disputes was vital to eradicating violence against children and his organization would be guided by its Charter in strengthening its partnership with the United Nations in response to conflicts.  The organization established a “Peace, Security and Mediation Unit” in 2013 and was committed to its Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission.  The Council was vital to ensuring State compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law and Palestinian children continued to suffer from military occupation.  Robust international attention was needed to deal with that and the global community was currently failing to protect civilians in armed conflict.

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For information media • not an official record


2019-03-12T17:25:39-04:00

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