special representative for children and armed conflict

“Due to recent escalations, we expect verified violations in at least some of these situations to increase over the coming months,” he warned.SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT Omar Abdi, Deputy Executive Director at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), pointed out that the highest numbers of grave violations against children were verified in protracted conflicts, where millions of children have now been displaced by the fighting, and hundreds of children have been killed or injured.

The UN official considered the use of schools and hospitals for military purposes and the attack on humanitarian workers during conflicts, practices that are still a source of great concern to the international organisation.

Some cases were so severe that they resulted in the death of the victims. Rape and sexual violence against children, including gang-rape, forced marriage and sexual slavery - although unreported - has also been verified, while children were also killed or injured in air strikes. Gamba said that in 2022, there were 27,800 verified violations against 18,890 children, including 8,630 children killed or maimed, 7,622 children recruited and used, and 3,985 children abducted. This came during the annual report that Gamba presented on Wednesday to the Security Council meeting, which spans across five geographical regions and covers 26 situations. NEW YORK, 6th July, 2023 (WAM) - The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba expressed the international organisation's concern about the continuing violations of children's rights in conflict-ridden areas, and called for providing the necessary protection for them.

Special representative for children and armed conflict