The United Nations (UN)’s International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is annually observed across the globe on 4th June to acknowledge the pain suffered by children worldwide who are victims of physical, mental, and emotional abuse.
- This Day initially focused on the Lebanese children victims in the context of the 1982 Lebanon War and the Palestinian children victims of Israel’s acts of aggression.
This Day also reaffirms the UN’s commitment to protecting children’s rights, guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty.
Background:
i.On 19th August 1982, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its 7th emergency special session adopted the resolution A/RES/ES-7/8, proclaiming 4th June of each year as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.
ii.The first-ever International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression was observed on 4th June 1983.
Convention on the Rights of the Child:
In 1989, world leaders adopted the UN “Convention on the Rights of the Child” (CRC), an international legal framework to protect and fulfill the rights of every child.
Key Principles:
i.The Convention recognises children as human beings with rights, not just as dependents of their parents or “adults in training.”
ii.As per the Convention, Childhood is separated from adulthood and is a special, protected time, lasting until 18.
- During the protected phase, children should grow, learn, play, develop, and flourish with dignity.
Child Rights Protection:
i.In 1997, the UNGA adopted the resolution (A/RES/51/77) on the Rights of the Child, a significant development in protecting children in conflict situations.
ii.This resolution strengthened existing measures, such as the CRC and its Optional Protocol, and the annual Rights of the Child resolutions.
iii.It also established the mandate of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.
Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict:
i.In 1996, the UNGA created the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict mandate to protect children affected by armed conflict.
ii.The mandate has been renewed and expanded by the UNGA since its inception. The latest renewal, Resolution A/RES/72/245, was adopted on 16 December 2021.
Key Facts:
According to the Secretary-General’s Children and Armed Conflict Annual Report published in 2023,
i.Over 8,630 children were killed or maimed in 2022, a 5% increase compared to 2021. Explosive ordnance caused over 25% of these casualties, including remnants of war, improvised explosive devices, and landmines.
ii.Around 3,985 children were abducted. The highest abduction rates were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, and Mozambique.
iii.1,166 children were victims of sexual violence. 99% of sexual violence victims were girls, with boys also affected either directly or as witnesses.
