UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL
7 July 2008
Children and Armed Conflict
Statement by H.E. Robert Hill Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
(As delivered)
Australia remains deeply concerned about the plight of children affected by armed conflicts, and we remain dedicated to ensuring the protection of all children from harm and exploitation.
We welcome the adoption on 19 June by the Council of resolution 1820, recognising that children in situations of armed conflicts are not only vulnerable to recruitment as child soldiers, but also to other grave violations, including rape and other acts of sexual violence. We echo the call in that resolution for all States to comply with their obligations for prosecuting persons responsible for acts of sexual violence.
Children in armed conflicts and children displaced by conflict are not only vulnerable to recruitment as child soldiers, but also to other grave violations, including killing and maiming, abductions and attacks on schools and hospitals. They may also suffer from the denial of humanitarian access. The UN system must continue to coordinate its efforts to address all these egregious violations, and monitoring and reporting mechansims should be triggered when any of them occur.
Many of those parties who commit violations against children in situations of armed conflict have been cited repeatedly in reports of the Secretary-General. We encourage the Security Council to continue to call on relevant States to prepare time-bound action plans to stop violations against children; and to consider targeted measures which may be taken against these persistent violators of child rights. On the tenth anniversary of its creation by the adoption of the Rome Statute, we also stress the important role of the International Criminal Court in investigating and prosecuting violations against children in armed conflict that fall within its jurisdiction.
We commend the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict for her continued commitment to her mandate, and we welcome her recent efforts to shed light on the situation of children in Afghanistan. We encourage the Council to maintain attention and seek further progress on those areas where children continue to be affected by armed conflict; among them those in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia.
Australia welcomes progress made on this issue, and encourgaes all key stakeholders to continue their efforts to ensure that all children are protected from harm and exploitation, and to hold those who would abuse them to account.