UN Special Representative Zerrougui engages parties in the Syrian conflict to better protect children

МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ ГУМАНИТАРНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЙ ИНСТИТУТ

ФАКУЛЬТЕТ ЗАОЧНОГО ОБУЧЕНИЯ

КАФЕДРА ИНОСТРАННЫХ ЯЗЫКОВ

Отчёт

По учебно-языковой практике

Исполнитель:

Студентка 4-го курса факультета

заочного обучения специальности

«международные отношения»

И.В. Пашко

Руководитель:

О.И. Журавлёва

Минск, 2013

The Role of United Nations Human Rights System

1. The Human Rights Council.

The Human Rights Council – an intergovernmental body composed of 47 countries – is a critical partner of the Special Representative in the application and enforcement of international norms to protect children’s rights and to end impunity of violating parties.

Every year, the Special Representative presents her report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva to inform the body of the progress made and remaining challenges in addressing violations committed against war-affected children, on the basis of which the Council can take action through resolutions and country-specific recommendations.

The Human Rights Council session also represents an opportunity for the Special Representative to highlight thematic and new research areas such as the rights and guarantees of internally displaced children in 2010 and children and justice in 2011.

2. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Human rights monitors to peacekeeping operations and country missions have an important role to play in monitoring and reporting on violations against children. The Office of the High Commissioner also promotes the mainstreaming of child protection in the work of human rights mechanisms.

3. The Committee on the Rights of the Child.

All States parties to the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on how they implement the treaty. The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party.

4. The Universal Periodic Review and Special Procedures.

The Universal Periodic Review is a process of reviewing the Human Rights records of all United Nations members every four years. The Office for Children and Armed Conflict regularly submits inputs regarding the situation of children for this review in various countries.

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts have been tasked by the Human Rights Council to monitor and report on human rights situations in specific countries or on thematic issues. These experts often highlight concerns about children and armed conflict in their reports and advocate for the protection of children’s rights.

The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict

Since the World Summit for Children in 1990 the United Nations has increasingly sought to draw international attention to the horrendous plight of children affected by armed conflict. In 1996, Ms. Graça Machel, an independent expert appointed by the Secretary-General, submitted her report to the General Assembly entitled “Impact of Armed Conflict on Children”. The report led to the adoption by the General Assembly of resolution A/RES/51/77 (1996) establishing the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict for a period of three years. The Assembly has since extended this mandate five times.

Ms. Leila Zerrougui was appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict at the Under Secretary-General level in September 2012. In this capacity, she serves as a moral voice and independent advocate to build awareness and give prominence to the rights and protection of boys and girls affected by armed conflict.

Immediately prior to this appointment she was the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Deputy Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) where, since 2008, she spearheaded the Mission’s efforts in strengthening the rule of law and protection of civilians.

The Mission of the Office is:

“To promote and protect the rights of all children affected by armed conflict”.

· The Special Representative serves as a moral voice and independent advocate for the protection and well-being of boys and girls affected by armed conflict.

· The Special Representative works with partners to propose ideas and approaches to enhance the protection of children and armed conflict and to promote a more concerted protection response.

· The Special Representative and her Office advocate, build awareness and give prominence to the rights and protection of children and armed conflict.

· The Special Representative is a facilitator, undertaking humanitarian and diplomatic initiatives to facilitate the work of operational actors on the ground with regard to children and armed conflict.

The Office of the Special Representative does not have a field presence but promotes and supports the efforts of operational partners.

Role of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict

The Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict was established in July 2005 pursuant to Security Council resolution 1612 and is currently chaired by Germany.

1. Responsibilities of the Working Group.

Consisting of the 15 Security Council members, the Working Group meets in closed sessions to review reports on children in armed conflict in specific country-situations, progress made in the implementation of action plans to end violations against children, and other relevant information.

Subsequent to these reports, the Working Group makes recommendations to parties to conflict, Governments and donors, as well as United Nations actors on measures to promote the protection of war-affected children.

2. Keeping the pressure.

Discernible progress has been observed as a result of the recommendations of the Working Group, including drawing the attention of the Security Council as well as its sanctions committees to specific issues. For instance, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after an initial delay, the Government brought to trial former Mai-Mai Commander Kyungu Mutanga for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the recruitment of 300 children in Katanga Province from 2003 to 2006. This action follows strong recommendations by the Working Group to take appropriate legal measures against members of armed groups accused of grave crimes against children.

3. Toolkit of the Working Group.

In addition to specific recommendations to the Security Council, the Working Group also has other tools at its disposal to address child protection concerns including the possibility of members of the Working Group to undertake a field trip, to hold emergency meetings and/or to issue a media statement.

Child Recruitment

Hundreds of thousands of children are used as soldiers in armed conflicts around the world. Many children are abducted and beaten into submission, others join military groups to escape poverty, to defend their communities or out of a feeling of revenge.

1. Combat and support roles.

In many conflicts children take direct part in combat. However, their role is not limited to fighting. Many girls and boys start out in support functions which also entail great risk and hardship. One of the common tasks assigned to children is to serve as porters, often carrying very heavy loads including ammunition or injured soldiers. Some children act as lookouts, messengers, cooks and implement other routine duties. Girls are particularly vulnerable and are often forced to serve as sexual slaves. Moreover, the use of children for acts of terror, including as suicide bombers has emerged as a phenomenon of modern warfare.

2. A long healing process.

Regardless of how children are recruited and of their roles, child soldiers are victims, whose participation in conflict bears serious implications for their physical and emotional well-being. They are commonly subject to abuse and most of them witness death, killing, and sexual violence. Many are forced to perpetrate these atrocities and some suffer serious long-term psychological consequences. The reintegration of these children is a very complex process.

3. Prohibition under International Law.

Recruiting and using children under the age of 15 as soldiers is prohibited under international humanitarian law – treaty and custom – and is defined as a war crime by the International Criminal Court. Furthermore, human rights law declares 18 as the minimum legal age for recruitment and use of children in hostilities. Parties to conflict that recruit and use children are added by the Secretary-General in his annual list of shame.

4. Definition of a child soldier.

A child associated with an armed force or armed group refers to any person below 18 years of age who is, or who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, spies or for sexual purposes.

Glossary

Articles

UN Special Representative Zerrougui engages parties in the Syrian conflict to better protect children

Beirut, 18 December 2012 –The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Ms. Leila Zerrougui yesterday arrived here from a four-day visit to the Syrian Arab Republic where she engaged State authorities and the armed opposition for better protection of children.

“The events in the Al Yarmouk camp in Damascus on Sunday, resulting in the killing and injuring of Palestinian children, is just one example of the horrors that children continue to face each and every day in Syria,” the Special Representative said.

During her discussions with Government authorities, Zerrougui raised strong concerns regarding the ongoing fighting and its impact on children, specifically the use of heavy weapons and bombardment of populated areas. She also advocated for the proactive protection of schools and the prevention of their military use by Syrian Government forces and the opposition in the ongoing fighting.

“As a first effort to address child rights violations, I welcome the commitment made by the Syrian authorities to allow the United Nations to begin independent verification of alleged violations against children in the ongoing conflict,” SRSG Zerrougui said. “This will allow for better monitoring and reporting of grave violations committed against children so that we can take action directly with perpetrators to stop these violations. This is what the Security Council mandated me and the United Nations to do on behalf of war-affected children.”

In April 2012, the Syrian Government forces were for the first time added to the Secretary-General’s “list of shame” for the killing and maiming of children and attacks on schools and hospitals. The United Nations has also received reports of Syrian armed opposition using children as spies, porters and for other purposes in their operations.

Although the current security situation did not allow the Special Representative to meet the armed opposition in person, she contacted two armed opposition commanders to raise allegations of association of children with the opposition, and to deplore terror tactics by certain units which have taken the lives of innocent civilians, including children, over the past months. “Our eyes will stay on the opposition to see whether they are serious in the commitment made to protect girls and boys,” Ms. Zerrougui stressed.

During her visit, the Special Representative also met with internally displaced and refugee children in Damascus, the Al-Yarmouk camp and are in desperate need of protection as well as food, medicine and shelter in the winter months to come.

“The situation I witnessed in Syria is dire for children. The immediate end to the violence and an inclusive peace are the only viable options, if we are to preserve the future generation of Syria’s children.”