More than 8,500 children were used as soldiers last year in various conflicts across the world and nearly 2,700 others were killed, the United Nations said on Monday.
UN chief Antonio Guterres’ annual report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict covers the killing, maiming and sexual abuse of children, abduction or recruitment, denial of aid access and targeting of schools and hospitals.
Swiss court gives Liberian rebel 20-year sentence for war crimes including rape, deploying child soldiers and an act of cannibalism https://t.co/apHa7REp0v pic.twitter.com/S5QrOT1W2Q
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 18, 2021
The report verified that violations had been committed against 19,379 children in 21 conflicts. The most violations in 2020 were committed in Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen.
It verified that 8,521 children were used as soldiers last year, while another 2,674 children were killed and 5,748 injured in various conflicts.
The report also includes a blacklist intended to shame parties to conflicts in the hope of pushing them to implement measures to protect children. The list has long been controversial with diplomats saying Saudi Arabia and Israel both exerted pressure in recent years in a bid to stay off the list.
Syria was one of the world's worst offenders for violations against children and for the use of child soldiers last year.https://t.co/BZ6RQohsw6
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) June 23, 2021
Earlier last month, Yemen’s pro-government forces said thousands of children were among waves of raw recruits sent by Iran-backed Houthi militias to the front line in Marib in Yemen.
This is seen as part of a desperate bid by the militias to overwhelm government defences and capture the oil-rich province that shelters millions who have fled the fighting.
Many young fighters have been recruited from school, often forcibly, and sent to fight as first-wave attackers, with the aim of wearing down pro-government forces before more experienced fighters attack, pro-government military leaders and officials said.
Yemen’s Human Rights Ministry confirmed the use of child soldiers in Marib.
In an effort to dampen controversy surrounding the report, the blacklist released in 2017 by Guterres was split into two categories. One lists parties that have put in place measures to protect children and the other includes parties that have not.
There were few significant changes to the lists released on Monday. The only state parties named on the list for not putting measures in place are Myanmar’s military, for killing, maiming and sexual violence against children, and Syrian government forces for recruitment of children, killing, maiming and sexual violence against children and attacks on schools and hospitals.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
