It is high time to realize the Syrian children’s right to peace and stability
New York, 10 December 2024 –
As Syria is at a crossroads and its future uncertain, the opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future must be seized by all actors. Children must be at the center of the country’s transition and reconstruction”, said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba.
The Special Representative echoes the UN Secretary-General’s appeal for calm and non-violence at this sensitive time, while protecting the rights of all Syrians without distinction, including children. As the humanitarian situation across the country remains dire, including with the upcoming threat of winter, she calls for respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law by all parties, including to urgently facilitate safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to reach those in need, including children. Those who have fled the conflict must also be allowed to safely and voluntarily return when the situation allows.
“Children have seen their childhood shattered by 14 years of brutal war. Those who survived the atrocities of the war will now need long-term and sustainable reintegration support, including health, mental health and psychosocial support, and access to education. Comprehensive mine action should also be a priority. In this transitioning period, prioritizing children’s rights and needs is fundamental to sustainable peace and stability, now and for the future,” said Virginia Gamba.
In the more than a decade-long conflict, the United Nations continued to verify high levels of grave violations against children. In 2023 alone, as per the last annual report of the Secretary-general on children and armed conflict, 1,574 grave violations against children were verified across Syria. The recruitment and use (1,073 children) and the killing and maiming (475 children) were the violations verified at the highest levels.
The Special Representative calls on all parties to the conflict to immediately release all children from their ranks. She further urges all parties, notably Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, to engage with the United Nations on the development and implementation of action plans to prevent the future recruitment and use of children as well as other grave violations against them.
In this regard, the Special Representative calls on the opposition Syrian National Army, including Ahrar al-Sham and Army of Islam, and its aligned legions and factions, and the Syrian Democratic Forces to implement fully and swiftly their respective action plans, and to coordinate urgently with the United Nations on the release of children.
The Special Representative reminds that children should be treated primarily as victims and deprivation of liberty should only be used as a measure of last resort and for the shortest period of time. At the end of 2023, over 800 children, including foreign children, reportedly remained detained for alleged association with armed groups. Approximately 29,000 children continued to be deprived of liberty in Hawl and Rawj camps in north-eastern Syria.
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For more information, please contact:
Ariane Lignier, Communications Officer, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict: ariane.lignier@un.org