Children pay a deadly price during conflicts – Unicef

18-year old Adil (not his real name) was disengaged from the military wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) two years ago. “I want to be a social worker, to help out of school youth,” he says. UNICEF

DAVAO CITY — UN children’s agency Unicef, the Embassy of Belgium in the Philippines and various civil society partners came together today to commemorate the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers.

In 2018, the Report of the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Philippines revealed a total of 69 grave violations affecting 109 children, 26 of which took place in 2017. There were three incidents of recruitment and use that affected 19 children. Most verified violations against children occurred in Mindanao.

Grave Child Rights Violations (GCRVs) are classified into six kinds, including killing and maiming of children; recruitment or use of children as soldiers; sexual violence against children; abduction of children; attacks against schools or hospitals; and denial of humanitarian access for children.

Belgian Ambassador Michel Goffin pointed out that “the erosion of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights globally, and the changing nature of conflicts, are becoming a permanent threat to children; attacks on children have been multiplied by three since 2010.”

“Children pay a deadly price during conflicts. Thirty years after the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, many children still get caught in the crossfire, their schools and homes attacked. We must remember that children are zones of peace and we must do all we can to protect them,” said Oyun Dendevnorov, Unicef Philippines Representative.

“We urge the Government of the Philippines to ensure the effective implementation of the law so that children in situations of armed conflict realize the full spectrum of their rights,” Dendevnorov added.

In commemoration of the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers, CTFMR members came together in Davao City to enhance their knowledge and capacities, hold strategic discussions on how to strengthen the network of actors in Mindanao, as well to update members on the latest national and global developments relating to monitoring and reporting grave child rights violations.