Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on Member States, including the Permanent Members of the Council, to build a better, safer future for the children of the world.
Ban Ki-moon, Deputy Chair of The Elders, made the appeal while briefing the Security Council at UN headquarters in New York.
He spoke after the Security Council heard powerful and personal testimony from a former child soldier, who recounted harrowing experiences of being abducted and forced to join an armed group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
READ ALSO: We have 400 uncollected Nigerian passports – New York Consulate
He stressed that there should be no impunity for those who commit crimes against children anywhere in the world.
“I am speaking today in my capacity as Deputy Chair of The Elders, the group of independent former leaders founded by Nelson Mandela who work for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet.
“The protection of innocent lives lies at the heart of all of The Elders’ endeavours. Children in armed conflict are the most innocent victims of all, and it is a universal moral obligation to protect them from harm and exploitation.
“I commend the work by the Special Representative of the Security-General, and the report presented today which describes how acute the issue of children and armed conflict has been over the course of 2023.
“It should be a matter of shame to every state represented here today that innocent children continue to pay such a terrible price in the multiple conflicts being waged across our world.”
The former UN chief said he was shocked and outraged that grave violations against children rose 21 per cent in 2023, with a 35 per cent rise in the killing and maiming of children in the same period.
This, according to him, reflected a persistent and blatant disregard for international law by those perpetrating these violations, whether government forces or non-state armed actors, and a sense of impunity that they would not be held accountable for their actions.
“To give just one example, the UN has verified more than 8,000 grave violations against 4,247 Palestinian children and 113 Israeli children in 2023, reflecting the shocking scale and human cost of the current conflict.
“There should be no impunity for those who commit crimes against children anywhere in the world, whether they are states or armed groups, in autocracies or democracies.
“Such distinctions mean nothing to the parents of murdered children, nor should they to the institutions charged with upholding international justice.
“The statistics in the Secretary-General’s report tell their own story.’’
He, however, recalled his own experience and that the trauma experienced by children in armed conflict cannot be captured in figures alone.
“As a young boy during the Korean War, I experienced the trauma and wrenching displacement of fleeing my home during the conflict, with death and destruction all around me.
“The human suffering I witnessed as I fled my burning village with my parents continued to haunt me in the days and years to come.”
The former UN chief said one of the definitive reports on children and armed conflict was written 28 years ago by Grace Machel, the former freedom fighter and Education Minister of Mozambique who today serves as my fellow Deputy Chair of The Elders.
Her findings are as relevant today as they were when she first presented them to the General Assembly in 1996.
According to him, the situation today is a damning reflection of the collective failure of political will over the past three decades to address the issue.
But Graça Machel’s powerful report did lead to changes, not least the creation of the mandate of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on children and armed conflict.
“All Council members, and particularly the five Permanent Members, have a responsibility to protect and support this mandate in the interests of children worldwide.
“At country level, alongside essential monitoring and reporting work, the mandate includes working with conflict parties on the steps they need to take to end violations and ensure the protection of children.
“Identifying those responsible for grave violations, as the report does through the compilation of its annual list, is the first step towards constructive engagement, action and accountability.”
In this regard, he said the inclusion of Israeli armed and security forces and Palestinian armed groups on the list is an important step in terms of seeking accountability.
“Attacks on places that are supposed to provide care and protection for children, such as schools and hospitals, are an increasing pattern in multiple conflict settings including Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar and Sudan.
“Member states should endorse and implement the commitments outlined in ‘The Safe Schools Declaration’ which has so far garnered support from 120 states.
“All attacks on children in armed conflict constitute a grave violation of human rights, but the most inhumane are those involving sexual violence.”
Speaking anonymously and through an interpreter, the 16-year-old former child soldier called on ambassadors to reinforce protection and security in conflict zones, to ensure children like him never have to play an active part in the horrors of war.
“When I was born, 16 years ago, there were already armed conflicts in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” the child began, recounting the worsening situation and how children have been the greatest victims.
“I was forced to join an armed group while I was walking to school.”
The child’s testimony highlighted the brutal realities faced by many children in conflict zones.
Two months ago, during armed attacks on two of our neighbouring villages, children were targeted for abduction and forced to join armed groups, while others were abducted to hold their families to ransom.
This led to the murder of many children whose families did not have the means to pay the ransoms demanded,” the child said, describing how schools and hospitals were attacked and used as military bases.
The child shared personal experiences of being kidnapped and forced into an armed group.
“We cried and trembled, begging them to let us go home to our families, but they wouldn’t listen.
“That’s when they started whipping us and keeping us in the bush. We were heavily guarded, and they had ordered to kill anyone who tried to flee.”
The testimonies included vivid descriptions of the hardships endured, such as being made to loot food and rob vehicles, with girls being taken as “wives” by soldiers.
“Life wasn’t rosy, because dry cassava was the main food, and I was also afraid of wild animals in the bush.”
