Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Today, February 12, is the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers. Belgium considers this day to be of great importance because the issue of child soldiers remains of particular importance today. A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Belgian government, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said that all over the world, thousands of children are being recruited and used in conflict situations. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone, the United Nations was able to verify more than 1,500 cases of children being recruited or used in 2022. This includes girls and boys, sometimes as young as 5 years old, who were deployed for combat, espionage, surveillance or missions. Logistical support. The recruitment and use of children by parties to conflict also continues in many other countries, such as Afghanistan, Colombia, Yemen, Mali and Syria.
The recruitment and use of children is just one of six grave violations against children in conflict, as identified by the UN Security Council in the “Children and Armed Conflict” mandate. The other five violations are: killing and/or maiming of children; rape and other forms of sexual violence; children kidnapping; Attacks on schools and hospitals; and denial of humanitarian access. By 2022, the United Nations has verified more than 27,000 serious violations against children. This number may be the tip of the iceberg, and the trend in 2023 is not hopeful.
Children are the most vulnerable victims of wars and conflicts. Protecting children in conflict situations and promoting their rights has been a Belgian foreign policy priority for many years. During the current Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union, the topic "Children and armed conflict" is one of the priorities in the field of human rights. Belgium is a strong supporter of the mandate of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and our country funds UNICEF's monitoring and reporting mechanism, which is essential to obtain an accurate picture of the extent and nature of serious crimes. Violations against children.
Within the framework of its EU Presidency, Belgium, in cooperation with the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and the European Commission, is organizing the photo exhibition “From Despair to Hope: Children after the End of Armed Conflict” at BOZAR in Brussels from 21 March Until 28 April 2024. This exhibition of the work of world-renowned photojournalist and humanitarian correspondent Paddy Dowling seeks to capture the complexity of children's lives in the midst of conflict, highlighting the tragedy of their stories and problems. Strength and belief in a better future. Ultimately, despite the atrocities they have been subjected to, Children have the opportunity to recover from atrocities and become positive forces of change within their communities.The exhibition is free to all.