المؤتمر الدولي الموسوم (التدابير الوقائية لمواجهة العنف ضد الأطفال في اثناء النزاعات المسلحة) برعاية شبكة الجامعات لحماية الاطفال في النزاعات المسلحة وبالتعاون مع كلية القانون بجامعة الكوفة

OPENING REMARKS

Prof. Laura Guercio, representative of the Universities Network for Children in Armed Conflict

Prof. Ahmed Aubais Al Fatlawi, University of Kufa ,Faculty of Law

Moderator: Mrs. Simona Lanzellotto, Universities Network for Children in Armed Conflict

 

Children are the weakest and most physically and psychologically affected by the effects of war: in such a violent, destructive context, children are “sponges” absorbing everything they experience and suffer from devastating effects on their future life. In fact, the risk is also that the child will find himself yielding to the dynamics and mentality of war with the consequence that violations of the rights of children in armed conflict situations do not only endanger the lives of children but also undermine the overall stability and welfare of our societies. Protecting children from the horrors of war is both a moral and legal imperative for the international community As the Special Representative of SG for Children and Armed Conflict stated during the 2019 Human rights Council, the protracted and high-intensity conflicts, cyclical spikes in violence, and operations to counter violent extremism had continued to make children around the world the primary victim of war. Three trends require attention: the plight of children detained for their alleged association to violent extremist groups; attacks on schools; and the abduction of children and its cross-border effects. Child recruitment and use by non-state armed groups raised new challenges from a child protection perspective. In Iraq, several crimes against children were committed by ISIS, like recruitment and utilization as combatants and suicide bombers, sexual abuse. The verified number concerning rape and sexual violence is under known because of the fear of stigmatization, reprisals, and lack of resources that prevent victims from reporting these violations. Moreover, many minors have been undergoing military training in ISIS camps, where they are taught in particular how to use light and medium weapons but above all how to normalize and legitimize violence with ideological brainwashing. The international community has to identify better ways to ensure preventive measures to counter violence against children. The one hour and a half online conference organized by the Universities Network for children in armed conflict, University of Kufa, aims at analyzing and reflecting on this question: How to protect children in armed conflict from physical and psychological violence by providing them with a safe and secure environment which allows security, education, and access to basics needs?