INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S DAY – FUTURE OF CHILDREN IN CONFLICT ZONES ARE BLEAK

Today the world celebrates the World International Children’s day.

In one of the original text of the UN declaration on children is “The child must be the first to receive relief in times of distress”

Today in 1989 the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The CRC is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health, and cultural rights of children. The document deals with child-specific needs and rights, requiring all nations that ratify it are bound to it by international law and must act within the best interests of the child.

Unfortunately the world is not paying enough attention to the grim future of children globally especially in conflict nations.

Currently at least 400 Palestinian children under 18 years old have been arrested by Israeli authorities since the beginning of the year, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PSS).

“The Israeli authorities continue to hold 170 Palestinian children in their prisons.”

“Israel is committing various violations against Palestinian children during their detention, including preventing them from completing their studies, depriving some of them of family visits in prison, and isolating them in individual cells,” the statement added.

We are outraged by the inaction of world bodies not acting on the sufferings of children in conflict zones.

Killings of children in Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, Iraq , Kashmir, Libya , Afghanistan are recorded atrocities and yet nothing is done to protect them.

Kashmir children are shooting targets by the Indian occupation forces using pallet guns to blind them.

The declaration of International Children’s Day is mere rhetorics while the future of vulnarable children will be bleak.

Military operations in conflict zones only treat children’s death and injuries as collateral damage.

We demand for a firm action by the UN agencies to revisit the treaties and international laws on the protection of children.

Millions of children, as seen in Yemen and Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh are facing malnutrition and starvation. Children dying of diseases are common in the camps with no access to medical care.

While children are tortured in the israeli prisons who were sentenced up to 20 years in prison.

Blinding Palestinian youth by israel occupation forces are rampant.

Israeli security forces have used unnecessary force to arrest or detain Palestinian children as young as 11.

Israel is the only country in the world to prosecute children routinely in military courts that lack basic safeguards for a fair trial.

Palestinian children detained by Israel face abuse and systematic torture, which has been legitimised by the judiciary and government of israel.

We call on the international human rights institutions to take action and put pressure on Israel to end its abuse of Palestinian children.

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
President of MAPIM