Situations of concern

In his seventh report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict (A/62/609-S/2007/757), the Secretary-General documents grave violations against children in 18 situations of concern, from Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territory/Israel, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda, to Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Colombia. Furthermore, the report explicitly cites 57 parties, both State and non-State actors, for the commission of grave violations against children.

Although progress has been made in a number of situations of armed conflict, such as in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire, children are still suffering in too many places worldwide

Today, in 18 situations of concern around the globe, children are being brutalized and callously used to advance the agendas of adults. It has been estimated that over 2 million children have been killed in armed conflicts; another 6 million have been rendered permanently disabled; and, more than 250,000 children continue to be exploited as child soldiers. Increasingly, children and women are the primary casualties of war.

The fatalities of civilians are disproportionately higher than ever before in the history of warfare. Thousands of girls are being subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence and exploitation. For example, in the DRC, 60% of the recorded cases involved victims between the age of 11 and 17. Boys and girls are being abducted from their homes on an unprecedented scale.

The Secretary-General's report raises serious concerns about a series of cross-cutting issues such as the increasing cases of recruitment or re-recruitment of children across borders and in refugee or internally displaced camps due to lack of security around the camps.

The very places that should be the safe havens for children -- their schools and hospitals -- are increasingly becoming the prime targets of attack by armed parties. Systematic and deliberate attacks on schoolchildren, teachers and school buildings have escalated in certain countries warranting the attention of the international community.

In many situations parties to conflict systematically deny humanitarian agencies access to territories under their control, with devastating consequences for civilian populations and especially children.

Increasingly, children are being detained for alleged association with armed groups in violation of international standards.

In addition, the scourge of landmines claims the lives and well-being of an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 children each year. The use of indiscriminate weapons such as cluster munitions during attacks in areas of civilian concentration has a severe impact on civilians, particularly children, even long after the conflict ended.

There are indications also that the trafficking of children in and from conflict zones is becoming a growing transnational trend, linked to elaborate international criminal networks. Such networks often fuel conflicts by facilitating the conversion of natural resources such as diamonds, coltan and timber into the very means and tools of war that have led to the increase in victimization and participation of children in conflict.

The widespread and easy availability of illicit small arms and light weapons in conflict and troubled areas continues to represent a major factor in enabling the recruitment and use of child soldiers. These weapons are increasingly cheap and simple to operate and carry, therefore easily placed in the hands of children who can be quickly trained to use them.