Protecting children in war zones is a priority | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)

Protecting children should always be a priority and 2014 was one of the worst years for children in countries affected by conflict. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke at the Security Council in an open debate on children and armed conflict. To take steps towards the protection of children in international communities, existing policies and practices have to be reviewed in addition to respecting the special protection given to schools and hospitals.

Abduction is also a tactic to take children away from their communities. The Security Council expressed grave concern over the issue of child abduction in conflict situations and asked the Secretary- General to include these issues in his annual report. The goals of the Children, Not Soldiers campaign were also revisited in the Council which was a campaign launched in 2014 by the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. The representative reported at the Council that immense progress has been made towards ending and preventing the recruitment and use of children by national security forces.

As conflicts have spread globally, about 230 million children currently live in the countries that are impacted and over five million other children are on the run, trying to escape war zones. The Secretary-General assured participants in the conference that the United Nations is moving towards even better ways to prevent the abuse of any child in conflict situations.

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