Young People Suffer Food Insecurity, Increasing Conflicts, Ramped Up Violence, Delegates Stress as Third Committee Discusses Children's Rights

• Published date: 11 October 2022
• Publication title: ASEAN Tribune

11 October 2022 (United Nations) The world is facing the worst hunger crisis, with an estimate of 149 million children - nearly one in five - chronically malnourished, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today, as delegates continued their general discussion on the rights of children.

During their general debate, delegates recognized increasing global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity and climate change, with many focusing on the political, economic, and social challenges faced by children in conflict.

The representative of Afghanistan decried the decline in his country since the Taliban took over by force in 2021. 'Afghanistan is the worst country in the world to be a child, with high child mortality rates, poor levels of nutrition and rampant violence against children,' he said, adding that millions of children have been exposed to grave violations of human rights. They are facing food insecurity and multidimensional poverty, he added, with many on the brink of famine.

Afghanistan belongs to the list of the deadliest countries for children, with hundreds of children killed and maimed, he stressed. 'Children in my country are living a nightmare,' he said, adding that Afghan girls are banned from accessing secondary education, forced into early marriages, and exposed to honour killings and sexual violence. Afghan boys face many of the same risks, while also being exposed to military recruitment. Highlighting reports of schools being deliberately set on fire, with the intention of destroying educational centres, he said such acts force children out of school and make them an easy target for terrorists to recruit.

Ukraine's representative said more than 400 children have been killed, many have become orphans and over a half a million have been transferred from Ukraine to various regions of the Russian Federation. The only way to protect Ukrainian children is to stop Moscow's aggression, she asserted, calling for their safe and rapid return.

Meanwhile, Syria's representative warned against the human rights situation in north-east Syria and regions outside the control of the Syrian Government, where over 53,000 women and children - the families of foreign terrorist fighters - are held in illegal prisons. These centres reflect the worst violations of human rights, he stressed, describing a section where over 500 children are living in horrific humanitarian situations. These children might form a nucleus for future terrorism, he warned, calling for the repatriation of those families.

Every moment the international community delays acting against the terrorist military is paid for by the lives and liberty of children, underscored Myanmar's representative. Condemning the 2021 military coup that killed over 300 children and young people under the age of 20, he detailed the military's terrorist activities, including the bombing of a community monastery school in the Let Yet Kone village.

Turning to the phenomenon of child soldiers, the representative of Yemen warned that millions of children are in the clutches of radical terrorism. Raising concerns about the paid recruitment of children in the military, the organization of summer camps to inculcate radical ideologies, and disfiguration of children due to land mines, he reiterated his Government's efforts to set up a special unit for the protection of children.

Violence against children and the phenomenon of children in armed conflict constitute a tragedy for the world, underscored Nigeria's representative. Thousands of children across the globe, instead of attending school, are fighting in armed conflicts, with the vast majority of these children being abducted, drugged, brainwashed and recruited against their will, he warned, adding that Nigeria is doing everything to prevent the recruitment of children by armed groups.

Along similar lines, Senegal's representative voiced concern over the increased vulnerability of children living in conflict zones, calling for strengthened cooperation to better recover from the pandemic and rebuild social protection systems for boys and girls. To that end, he defined new strategic plans focused on protecting children from exploitation and violence as well as combating diseases such as AIDS and malaria.

Also speaking today were representatives of Colombia, Iran, Malaysia (on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)), Qatar, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Viet Nam, Ethiopia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Dominican Republic, Maldives, Burkina Faso, Kuwait, Belarus, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, Rwanda, Algeria, Mozambique, United States, Monaco, Pakistan, Turkey, Brazil, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Bhutan, Japan, Togo, Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica, Central African Republic, Niger, Andorra, Trinidad and Tobago, Georgia, Norway, United Republic of Tanzania, Gabon, Lesotho, Timor-Leste, Côte d'Ivoire, Kiribati, Oman, Congo, Sudan, Albania, Romania, Italy, Tunisia, Ecuador, Nepal, Greece and Libya. The observers for the Holy See and State of Palestine as well as youth delegates of Luxembourg and Germany also spoke.

Speaking in exercise of the right of reply were representatives of the Russian Federation, India and Pakistan.

The Third Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 11 October, to continue its debate on the rights of children.

Statements

NATHALIA SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA (Colombia), speaking on behalf of the Global South Coalition and pointing to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) data, stressed that one more year of school can increase a girl's earnings when she's an adult by up to 20 per cent. Some countries lose more than $1 billion a year by failing to educate girls to the same level as boys. Citing the Secretary-General's report, she added that the consequences of the pandemic are still felt, with 11 million girls that may not go back to school, 64.3 per cent of 10-year-olds being unable to read. Further, because of school closures, 10 million more girls than previous estimates are at risk of early marriage by 2030, she said.

FATEMEH ARAB BAFRANI (Iran) said the Government continues to improve legislative frameworks to assure children's well-being. Highlighting a mass immunization campaign starting in 2019, she said the country has been declared free of both measles and rubella. Further, infant mortality has decreased to 10.92 per 1000 live births. A law on the protection of children and adolescents, exposure to delinquency or harm such as abuse, requires the authorities to intervene. This protection extends to cyberspace, where children's exposure to pornography and trafficking is punished, she said. To integrate stateless children, Iran passed a law extending citizenship to children born to Iranian mothers and foreign fathers, she said. Adding that unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States also affect children, she called on the international community to hold them accountable.

Mr. ANG CHENG LIANG (Malaysia), on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), stressed the importance of prevention and rehabilitation programmes targeted at children that are vulnerable to all forms of abuse and exploitation. On child participation, he pointed to the establishment of the National Council for Children and all efforts connected to care and rehabilitation. Moreover, the Government is currently developing a comprehensive national policy on children, juvenile justice, bullying, mental health, child exploitation, child marriage, climate change and child online protection, including a child protection plan in the cyberworld. The Government has taken measures to strengthen children's institutions at the State level by increasing the number or probation officers, he added. Opposing unnecessary detention of children, he pointed to family care initiatives ensuring that children in need of care will grow up in families instead of institutions. Underscoring the role of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), he reiterated Malaysia's commitment to giving children the life they deserve.

ALMAHA MUBARAK AL-THANI (Qatar) noted her country's progress in advancing children's rights through a series of procedures at the legislative and executive levels. In particular, she underlined Qatar's investment of more that 10 per cent of its total expenditure in education. Through the Qatar Development Fund, her country earmarked $980 million to benefit millions of children through developmental and humanitarian aid implemented in more than 65 countries, she said. 'Failure to observe the right to education can compromise human rights, sustainable development and the economy, especially in societies in conflict,' she said. She also emphasized that Qatar is considered one of the five pioneering countries in supporting quality education at the global level. Further, she stressed her country's wide array of data derived from its field experiences. Recognizing the importance of the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, she stressed that Doha has opened a Special office and a Center for Analysis and Research to build institutional knowledge on efforts to protect children.

Ms. CHAKIR, youth delegate of Luxembourg, said that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the mental health of children and adolescents as they were deprived of circumstances to socialize. Further, complicating the lack of social structures in place as well as paediatric psychologists to address the issue, children aged 12 to 18 are often too old to receive care from paediatric psychologists but are too young to receive care meant for adults, she said.

Ms. BERTEMES, youth delegate of Luxembourg, stressed that the expansion of access to the Internet has made children particularly vulnerable to predators and called for more controls over shocking content...