Civilians are always victims of war, but they are the most devastated victims because most of them do not have any stake in children’s conflict. The recent incident of school attack in Tehran has once again brought the world to face a bitter reality, which is the prominent role of children as the first and the most destructive victims of the war in the contemporary world. It may be intentional targeting, failure of intelligence or simple the fact that the military acts are near homes and children are killed in wars that they did not make or know about, but the outcome is the same young lives always lose their lives in wars they had no hand in making or no knowledge of the causes.
Unfortunately, it is not a tragedy on its own. In various parts of the world, children still have the worst consequences of war.
Thousands of children have been killed or injured in sequential military actions in the current war in Gaza Strip and many more displaced or without education and health facilities. Bombing has become a common feature in schools and residential areas transforming normal childhood spaces into areas of fear.
Over ten years of civil war in Syria have ruined at least a generation. Many thousands of schools have been damaged or destroyed, and many thousands of children are displaced, traumatised and their education interrupted. Conflict is all that many have been raised knowing.
The same thing can be said about the humanitarian disaster in Yemen. They have resulted in airstrikes, armed conflicts, and blockades that have caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The attacks on schools, buses, and markets have resulted in the killing of children and the millions who are affected have been subjected to malnutrition and inaccessibility of basic services.
The war in Ukraine has proven the rapidity with which children fall victim to disputes even in Europe. Schools, hospitals and residential quarters have been destroyed as well as artillery attacks and missile strike which have displaced millions of children.
These instances point to an alarming fact: nowadays the military and civilian space is inseparable. The war is more likely to happen in high density populated areas where schools, hospitals and homes would be located too close to the military targets. Children are one of the groups that are most vulnerable to being affected when bombs fall or when missiles hit.
The children are also special victims in warring situations. As compared to adults, they cannot defend themselves or flee fast. They do not have to work independently, but rather they are totally dependent on the security of families, communities, and institutions, which are usually destroyed during war. Consequently, children are at risk to not only to die or get injured, but also displaced, psychologically traumatised, recruited into armed factions, and their education interrupted permanently.
However, the international law is clear: children should be safeguarded in time of war.
Four Geneva Conventions have formulated explicit duties of all sides in a war to differentiate between civilians and combatants and not to attack civilian facilities like schools and hospitals. These principles are the foundation of international humanitarian law.
Moreover, the Convention on the rights of the child commits states to make sure that children are not victimised or exploited even in times of armed conflict. The international community also solidified this pledge by passing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1261 that denounces targeting of kids and requests the enhancement of services used to monitor and stop this violation.
These legal frameworks have not stopped at all the serious violations against children. The United Nations monitoring reports indicate that thousands of children are killed, maimed, abducted or recruited into armed groupings annually. School and hospital attacks are still happening at a frightening rate.
The trend of the growing militarisation of learning environments is one of the most troubling. Schools should be places where children should study, develop, and dream about their future. Their impacts stretch well beyond the actual direct victims when they fall prey to it and when they are used to military end. Neighbourhoods are deprived of places to learn in a safe environment; families are left hopeless and generations are destined to live in fear and instability.
Child safety during war cannot be facilitated by mere statements. Armed actors and governments are obligated to follow the international humanitarian law, and protection of civilians, which is required to be made part of military planning. This involves improved intelligence checks, no strikes near schools and hospitals and carrying out independent investigations into cases of civilian killings.
Monitoring and accountability should also be enhanced by international institutions. In case of such violations, it must be reported and dealt with under sustainable court proceedings. Impunity does not help it, but only further abuse.
Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies and civil society need to keep on lobbying the rights and protection of child rights in war-torn areas. Their input in abuse reporting, survivor advocacy, and creating worldwide awareness of it cannot be ignored. Finally, child safety in war is not only a legal task, but it is also a challenge to people.
All wars are won because of national interest, security or political ambition. However, the measure of any society is how it safeguards the most vulnerable members of that society. Military calculations cannot involve children. They are not supposed to be on casualty lists, but in classes.
When the international community is confident in human rights and humanitarian values, then children’s safety in war should be a non-negotiable issue on the global agenda. Since the death of a child in war deprives humanity a part of its future.
The writer is a Protection Specialist and CEO, Favor Consultancy. E-mail: [email protected]
