A UAE newspaper has said that children hold a special place in any society and they have the right to live free from violence, which harms their physical and mental growth
ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 18th Feb, 2019) A UAE newspaper has said that children hold a special place in any society and they have the right to live free from violence, which harms their physical and mental growth. Unfortunately, what’s happening on the ground reflects a sad reality.
In an editorial on Monday, The Gulf Today said, "The observation of 'Save the Children International' that at least 100,000 babies die every year because of armed conflict and its impact, from hunger to denial of aid, should rattle the conscience of every human being."
The paper went on to say, "It is distressing that in the 10 worst-hit countries, a conservative estimate of 550,000 infants died as a result of fighting between 2013 and 2017. They succumbed to war and its effects, among them hunger, damage to hospitals and infrastructure, a lack of access to health care and sanitation and the denial of aid.
"Children continue to face the threat of being killed or maimed, recruited by armed groups, abducted or falling victim to sexual violence and mere silence cannot be the response of the world community."
As per the charity’s CEO, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, almost one in five children are living in areas impacted by conflict more than at any time in the past two decades. To add to the distress, the number of children being killed or maimed has more than tripled.
"Under international humanitarian law, children and civilians should never be targeted for attacks. But the unfortunate reality speaks otherwise. For example, Israel’s violent practices in Gaza and the West Bank against innocent Palestinian children have been continuing unabated despite repeated warnings by the international community," added the editorial comment.
The United Nations Refugee Agency estimated recently 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.
This situation is just not acceptable. None of us grow up to be man or woman without passing through that beautiful, carefree phase called childhood.
"A Peace Research Institute Oslo study commissioned by Save the Children group had also found that 420 million children were living in conflict-affected areas in 2017,"' noted the daily.
"It issued a list of recommendations to help protect children, from steps such as committing to a minimum age of 18 for military recruitment to the avoidance of using explosive weapons in populated areas. One hopes such ideas are taken seriously and acted upon," concluded the Sharjah-based daily.
