HAMILTON, Canada
UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, on Tuesday criticized the international community for failing to take decisive action to alleviate the suffering of children in conflict zones.
“The cries of these children echo across conflict zones, but far too often, the world remains silent. Their pain is a stain on our collective conscience. We must do better—because every moment we delay, another child becomes just another number in the long list of conflict-related casualties and violations in the children and armed conflict reports,” Gamba said in a statement on New Year’s Eve.
Gamba’s statement highlighted the increased number of children’s recruitment to armed groups in places like Colombia, the Sahel, Sudan, and Haiti.
“Killing and maiming of children and attacks on schools and hospitals are gearing to become the two most prevalent violations against children in situations of armed conflict in 2024,” the statement said, adding that children accounted for 30% of casualties caused by landmines and explosive ordnance in places like Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine.
She called for urgent action and said, “The granting of safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to children and responsible implementation of International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights Law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the elimination of wide-impact explosives in populated areas, the prohibition of the military use of schools, and the need to prohibit and eliminate anti-personnel landmines are important commitments that can help children survive armed conflict when adults are not willing to commit to lasting peace.”
“As we move into 2025, let us choose compassion over indifference and peace over war,” she said, adding that “let us prove to them that their wishes matter, that they matter.”
