Vatican
City, 27 March 2015 (VIS) – Respect for children, victims of war,
was the subject of Holy See Permanent Observer to the United Nations
and other international organizations in Geneva Archbishop Archbishop
Silvano M. Tomasi’s, speech given at the 28th session of the Human
Rights Council held 17 March of this year.
“The
Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab
Republic,” the archbishop stated, “recently reported that, since
the start of the crisis, ‘more than 10 million Syrians have fled
their homes. This amounts to almost half of the country’s
population, now deprived of their basic rights’ … A variety of
sources have provided evidence on how children suffer the brutal
consequences of a persistent status of war in their country. Children
are recruited, trained, and used in active combat roles, at times
even as human shields in military attacks. The so-called Islamic
State (ISIL) group has worsened the situation by training and using
children as suicide bombers; killing children who belong to different
religious and ethnic communities; selling children as slaves in
markets; executing large numbers of boys; and committing other
atrocities.”
“In
camps throughout the Middle East, children constitute approximately
half of the refugee population and they are the most vulnerable
demographic group in times of conflict and displacement. … Beyond
the specific conditions faced by internally displaced children and
those in the refugee camps of the region and beyond the enormous
tragedies affecting them, it seems important to envision their
future, by focusing on three particular areas of concern.”
“First,”
he asserted, “the world must deal with the situation of millions of
stateless children, who as such according to the law, were never
born. The United Nations estimates that approximately 30,000 of these
children can be found in Lebanon alone. Moreover, due to the Middle
Eastern conflicts and massive uprooting of families, several thousand
unregistered children are scattered in camps and other asylum
countries. … Stateless children cross international borders alone
and find themselves completely abandoned. … While all face grave
difficulties, those fleeing Syria face challenges that are even more
dramatic: a child below eleven years of age and without documents has
no access even to the most basic services. These children obviously
cannot go to school and they are likely to be adopted illegally,
recruited in an armed group, abused, exploited, or forced into
prostitution. Every child has the right to be registered at birth and
thus to be recognized as a person before the law. The implementation
of this right opens the way for access to the enjoyment of other
rights and benefits that affect the future of these children.
Simplifying mechanisms and requirements for registration, waving
fees, and advocating for refugee inclusive registration legislation,
represent steps to solve the plight of stateless children.”
“Second,
another key component that shapes the future of uprooted children is
education. Both in Syria and in refugee camps in the region,
provision of education has become extremely problematic. Some 5,000
schools have been destroyed in Syria where more than one million and
half students no longer receive an education and where attacks
against school buildings continue. … The international community as
a whole seems to have misjudged the extent of the Syrian crisis. It
was thought by many that the Syrian refugee flow was temporary and
such refugees would leave their countries of asylum in a matter of
months. Now, after four years of conflict, it appears likely that
these refugees will remain and the locals have to learn to live side
by side with them. … In the camps, there are only 40 teachers for
more than 1,000 students, aged 6 to 17. … For different reasons,
whether in their home countries or in the refugee camps, children
find an inadequate education system that jeopardizes their future.
Everywhere there is an urgent need for an education system that could
absorb these children and bring some normalcy to their lives.”
“Third,
another disruptive consequence of the continuing violence that
torments the Middle East is the separation of family members, which
forces many minors to fend for themselves. … To prevent the further
exploitation of children and to protect them properly, an additional
effort should be made to facilitate the reunification of minors with
their respective families.”
“The
right to a legal identity, to an adequate education, and to a
family,” the archbishop concluded, “are key elements and specific
requirements in a comprehensive system of protection for children.
Such measures require the close collaboration of all stakeholders.
Access to quality education and psycho-social care, together with
other basic services, is extremely important. However, children
cannot benefit from such services unless they are registered at birth
and their families and communities are supported to protect them
better. If the violence does not stop and the normal pace of
education and development is not resumed, these children are at risk
of becoming a lost generation.”
Posts
