DUBAI, (Pakistan Point News - 04th Jun, 2018) Dr. Hanif Hassan Al Qasim, Chairman of the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, has stressed the importance of stopping all forms of violence against children during armed conflicts, calling on international decision-makers to address this ethical and humanitarian issue.
On the occasion of the annual International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression on 4th June, Al Qasim stated that violent and extremist groups target children and the youth in areas of conflicts, such as Syria. He highlighted the fact that the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, estimates that around 43 percent of internally displaced people are children, and around three million Syrian children are refugees, and over 40 percent of Syrian refugees do not have access to education.
Al Qasim stressed that children are exposed to danger in many countries, including Palestine, due to conflict and violence while noting the concerns of international humanitarian organisations regarding Israel’s violent practices in Gaza and the West Bank.
Half of the children in Gaza depend on humanitarian aid, which was reduced by the Israeli siege that targeted civilians, and the killing of children during the Gaza protests in 2018 is another example of the violent Israeli practices against Palestinian children, he said in conclusion.
