We are also seeing schools and hospitals, constantly attacked, looted, destroyed or used for military purposes, with girls’ educational and health facilities targeted disproportionately.Īs we mark the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate, its continued relevance is sadly clear and it remains a proven tool for protecting the world’s children. Moreover, new and deeply concerning trends emerged: an exponential increase in the number of children abducted, and in sexual violence against boys and girls. The most prevalent verified violations continued to be the recruitment and use of children, the killing and maiming of children, and the denial of humanitarian access to children.

The disregard for children’s rights at times of conflict and upheaval is shocking and heartbreaking. The start of 2021 has been no exception and, although monitoring of violations against children committed during 2021 will not be reported until my report of next year, I call on all parties to conflict to prioritize the prevention of violations against children and to engage in dialogue, ceasefires and peace processes.ĭuring 2020, almost 24,000 grave violations were committed against 19,300 children in the 21 situations covered by this mandate. I thank the Government of Estonia for convening today’s Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict.Ĭonflict devastates societies and hits children particularly hard.

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