Secretary-General’s 10th Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict released today
Secretary-General calls for better protection from attacks on schools and hospitals
New York, 11 May – Every year the Secretary-General lists those parties to conflict who recruit and use, kill and maim or commit rape and other forms of sexual violence against children in conflict. The Annual Report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict, issued today, gives an overview of the situation of children affected by conflict and action taken for their protection over the reporting period. (Lists attached)
“2010 proved another tragic year for children in conflicts all over the world. We’ve taken no parties off of the list and added four more–two in Yemen and two in Iraq,” said Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy.
Attacks on schools and hospitals
Out of 22 country situations reported in the Annual Report, 15 make reference to attacks on schools and hospitals. Direct and physical damage to schools seems to be the most reoccurring violation, but there are also reported incidents of closure of schools and hospitals as a result of direct threats and intimidation, military occupation. Schools are often used as recruiting groups for children.
“I am concerned about the increasing trend of attacks on schools and hospitals,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the report. The Secretary-General recommends that the Security Council add parties to conflict that are attacking schools and hospitals to the annex of the report.
“Schools must be safe places of learning and development for all children. They should be zones of peace. Those who attack schools and hospitals should know that they will be held accountable,” said Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Coomaraswamy.
Most recent developments
The report contains detailed information on violations against children in the following countries: Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nepal, Occupied Palestinian Territories/Israel, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, the Sudan, Southern border provinces of Thailand, Uganda and Yemen.
More specifically, the Annual Report includes preliminary details from 2010 about the post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire.
Progress
The United Nations has made progress in Afghanistan where the Government recently signed an agreement to release children from the Afghan National Security Forces and address other violations. The Afghan Government has put in place important measures to prevent underage recruitment: the Ministry of Interior is training its staff in age verification procedures, has – in cooperation with NATO – put in place an alert mechanism for child recruitment and sexual abuse and is working on a nationwide awareness campaign.
In the Philippines, registration of children with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front progressed in 18 of the 21 MILF base commands.
The Special Representative also secured commitments from the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia to work towards an action plan to release girls and boys. These agreements were, in part, due to the listing of these parties to conflict in previous Annual Reports.
“Despite the negative developments in 2011—such as attacks on schools and the number of parties that continue to commit grave violations, it is encouraging to note that more and more parties are approaching the United Nations to enter into an action plan to get off of the Secretary-General’s list of shame. We welcome these developments and hope the momentum will continue,” said SRSG Coomaraswamy.
Link to SG’s 10th Annual Report:
http://www.un.org/children/conflict/_documents/S2011250.pdf
For Further Information:
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Timothy La RoseCommunications OfficerOffice of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict+1 917 346 3404 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting+1 917 346 3404end_of_the_skype_highlightinglarose@un.org
Muriel GschwendAssociate Communications OfficerOffice of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict +917 367 35 62gschwend@un.org
Website:http://www.un.org/children/conflictTwitter:http://www.twitter.com/childreninwarFlickr:http://www.flickr.com/photos/childrenandarmedconflict/Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/childreninwar
The List of Shame
List of parties that recruit or use children, kill or maim children, and/or commit rape and other forms of sexual violence against children in situations of armed conflict on the agenda of the Security Council,
Parties in Afghanistan
1. Afghan National Police*
2. Haqqani network*†
3. Hezb-i-Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar* †
4. Jamat Sunat al-Dawa Salafia*
5. Latif Mansur Network*
6. Taliban forces*†
7. Tora Bora front*
Parties in the Central African Republic
1. Armée populaire pour la restauration de la République et de la démocratie (APRD)*
2. Convention des patriotes pour la justice et la paix (CPJP)*
3. Forces démocratiques populaires de Centrafrique (FDPC)*
4. Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)* †‡
5. Mouvement des libérateurs centrafricains pour la justice (MLCJ)*
6. Self-defence militias supported by the Government of Central African Republic*
7. Union des forces démocratiques pour le rassemblement (UFDR)*
Parties in Chad
1. Chadian National Army, including newly integrated elements*
2. Justice and Equality Movement *
Parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
1. Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC), including recently integrated elements from various armed groups including the Congrès national pour la défense du peuple (CNDP), formerly led by Laurent Nkunda as well as elements currently led by Bosco Ntaganda*‡
2. Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR)*‡
3. Forces de résistance patriotique en Ituri/Front Populaire pour la Justice au Congo (FRPI/FPJC)* ‡
4. Front nationaliste et integrationaliste (FNI)*‡
5. Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)*‡
6. Mai-Mai groups in North and South Kivu, including PARECO*‡
Parties in Iraq
1. Al-Qaida in Iraq, including its armed youth wing, the “Birds of Paradise”*†
2. Islamic State of Iraq†
Parties in Myanmar
1. Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)*
2. Kachin Independence Army (KIA)*
3. Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)*: this party has sought to conclude an action plan with the United Nations in line with Security Council resolutions 1539 (2004) and 1612 (2005), but the United Nations has been prevented from doing so by the Government of Myanmar.
4. Karen National Union-Karen National Liberation Army Peace Council*
5. Karenni Army (KA)*: this party has sought to conclude an action plan with the United Nations in line with Security Council resolutions 1539 (2004) and 1612 (2005), but the United Nations has been prevented from doing so by the Government of Myanmar.
6. Shan State Army-South (SSA-S)*
7. Tatmadaw Kyi, including integrated border guard forces*
8. United Wa State Army (UWSA)*
Parties in Nepal
Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M)*
Parties in Somalia
1. Al-Shabaab, including newly merged Hizbul Islam*†
2. Transitional Federal Government (TFG)*†
Parties in the Sudan
Parties in southern Sudan
1. Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)*† ‡
2. Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA)*
Parties in Darfur
1. Chadian armed opposition groups*
2. Police forces, including the Central Reserve Police and Border Intelligence Forces*
3. Popular Defence Forces*
4. Pro-government militias*
5. Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)*
6. Signatory parties to the Darfur Peace Agreement:
(a) Justice and Equality Movement (Peace Wing)*
(b) Movement of Popular Force for Rights and Democracy*
(c) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Free Will*
(d) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Minni Minnawi*
(e) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/ Mother Wing (Abu Gasim)*
(f) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Peace Wing*
7. Non-signatory parties to the Darfur Peace Agreement:
(a) Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)*
(b) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Abdul Wahid*
(c) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Historical Leadership*
(d) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Unity*
List of parties that recruit or use children, kill or maim children, and/or commit rape and other forms of sexual violence against children in situations of armed conflict not on the agenda of the Security Council, or in other situations of concern
Parties in Colombia
1. Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN)*
2. Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP)*
Parties in the Philippines
1. Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)*
2. Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)*
3. New People’s Army (NPA)*
Parties in Sri Lanka
1. Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) (Iniya Barrathi faction)*
Parties in Uganda
Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)
Parties in Yemen
Al-Houthi rebels*
Pro-government tribal militia*
