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	Words alone won"t end violence against women in armed conflict by Lakshmi Puri UN Women   Last year, as rebels captured the main towns in northern Mali, UN Women registered a sudden and dramatic increase in rapes, not least in Gao and Kidal, regions where most women never report such violence to anyone, not even health practitioners.   We heard stories of girls as young as 12 being taken from their homes to military camps, gang-raped for days, and then abandoned; of surgery and delivery rooms invaded by armed men enforcing dress codes and occupying health facilities; of young women being punished, flogged, and tortured for bearing children outside marriage.   Last week, the UN security council heard of similar atrocities elsewhere in the world, and adopted its fourth resolution in five years exclusively devoted to the issue of sexual violence in armed conflict. A crime that was until recently invisible, ignored, or dismissed as an inevitable consequence of war, is now routinely addressed by the world body in charge of the maintenance of international peace and security.   This is not the only policy gain achieved in the past few months. In March, the Commission on the Status of Women, the principal global policymaking body dedicated to furthering women"s rights, reached a historic agreement on violence against women. The forward-looking declaration commits member states to actions – including in conflict and post-conflict situations – that have never previously been so explicitly articulated in international documents.   In April, an arms trade treaty was adopted by the UN general assembly, requiring exporting state parties to consider the risks of arms being used "to commit or facilitate serious acts of gender-based violence or violence against women". That month, Zainab Hawa Bangura, the special representative of the secretary general on sexual violence in conflict, named and shamed perpetrators in her annual report to the security council. The world"s eight richest nations reached a historic agreement to work together to end sexual violence in conflict. Under the presidency of the UK, the G8 agreed on six major steps to tackle impunity and pledged some $35m in new funding.   This sample of policy developments parallels rising demands to advance women"s empowerment and gender equality, and to address violence against women. At the beginning of 2013, there were mass protests in every major city in India in the wake of a gang-rape in Delhi; similar revolts against sexual assault have occured in Brazil, South Africa and other countries. This level of popular mobilisation following incidents involving violence against women has not been seen before.   More strikingly, the trend is developing at a time when rising fundamentalism, widespread austerity and continued militarism threaten to roll back women"s rights and push aside gender equality demands. Women"s rights activists have to risk their lives to denounce rape in Mali. Refugees fleeing Syria are experiencing forced and early marriage in refugee communities in neighbouring countries. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, attacks are being carried out against girls who simply want an education. The facts about what the World Health Organisation recently called "a global health problem of epidemic proportions" remain basically unchanged. More than a third of all women and girls – in countries rich or poor, in peace or at war – will experience violence in their lifetimes, the overwhelming majority of them at the hands of their partner.   The latest security council resolution and other recent policy gains indicate progress. Now, inspiring words must be turned into action by investing in female empowerment and leadership as the most effective strategy to end violence against women. It is no coincidence that the majority of advances in recent international jurisprudence on war crimes against women have come from trailblazing women at the helm of international courts or leading international prosecutions. By the same token, laws and police action are not enough to help a battered woman escape an abuse situation and restart her life. Only greater equality between the sexes will turn the tide to prevent and end violence against women and girls.   These positive steps must be built upon through decisive action by national governments. They must seek to ensure that such violence does not happen in the first place – and that, when it does, there is a swift and appropriate response that includes effective access to justice. It requires strong international co-operation, among multilateral and regional entities, including UN Women, to empower women and girls and put an end to the atrocities. And it requires strong efforts by civil society organisations and the global women"s movement to remind both national governments and international organisations that words are not enough, that a few actions are not enough, that we must aim high and maintain progress. Visit the related web page
	Conflicts in Syria, Mali pose unprecedented threats to children by Leila Zerrougui Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict   11/09/2013   UN Expert calls for More Action to Protect Children.   The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Leila Zerrougui, highlighted the dire situation of children affected by armed conflict and the need for more action to protect them during an update on her mandate and ongoing work to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.   She reminded the Human Rights Council that as a new school year begins, millions of children are deprived of their right to education because of conflict. She added that traditional safe havens for children are now too often on the frontline and attacks on schools and hospitals remain of grave concern.   Since her last report to the Human Rights Council, the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed Action Plans to end the recruitment and use of children, as well as sexual violence against children. The Transitional Government of Somalia signed a similar Action Plan as well as another one to end killing and maiming of children, the first time a Government made such a commitment. Last week, the Government of Yemen approved an Action Plan to end the recruitment and use of children by the country’s armed forces.   She concluded her presentation by urging the Council to include the protection of children and monitoring of child rights violations in armed conflict in all its new and renewed mandates as well as Commissions of Inquiries.   http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/calls-for-more-action-to-protect-children/ http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=31742&flag=news   12 June 2013   Despite progress to protect children living in war-affected countries, the evolving character and tactics of conflict are creating unprecedented threats for children, particularly in Syria, Mali and the Central African Republic, a top United Nations envoy today said.   Briefing reporters in New York on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report on children and armed conflict, his Special Representative on the issue, Leila Zerrougui, said: “In 2012, we have seen positive developments in some areas of the world, but also extremely worrying situations in places such as Syria, Mali and Central African Republic.”   The report reviews situations in these and 18 other countries, as well as the regional conflict involving the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) whose activities impact children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan.   The report also “names and shames” parties that engage in the recruitment and use of children, sexual violence against children, the killing and maiming of children in contravention of international law, recurrent attacks on schools and/or hospitals or recurrent attacks or threats of attack against protected personnel.   This year, the list includes 55 armed forces and groups from 14 countries, including 11 new parties in Central African Republic, DRC, Mali and Syria.   Two countries previously listed – Nepal and Sri Lanka – have been removed this year. In addition, new action plans have been signed with the DRC, Myanmar, Somalia and South Sudan, as roadmaps to potential delisting.   On Syria, Mr. Ban said in his annual report that the toll the conflict is taking on children is “unacceptable and unbearable,” and urging immediate measures to protect the lives and dignity of all children.   “I urge the Government immediately to cease bombardments of civilian areas,” Mr. Ban said in his report. “The Government should be held responsible for all grave violations committed by groups affiliated to it.”   “The use of terror tactics against the civilian population can also not be tolerated. In this regard, I urge all armed opposition groups to put an immediate end to these acts that cost the lives of children in the Syrian Arab Republic and to end the recruitment of children,” he stressed.   The office of the Special Representative received throughout 2012 verified reports that Syrian children are killed or injured in indiscriminate bombings, shot by snipers, used as human shields or victims of terror tactics, according to a news release from the office.   The report cites instances of children being detained and mistreated, including boys as young as 10 years of age recruited by armed groups to work as combatants, porters, messengers and to perform other support tasks.   “What we would like to do is to see these stop,” Ms. Zerrougui told the press. “We would like to see parties take their responsibility to respect the standards that govern war and to ensure that children are not paying such a high price and to preserve the lives of civilians in general and children in particular.”   The UN has also cited instances of schools in Syria under attack and limited access to lifesaving humanitarian assistance.   “Everyone involved in the conflict needs to take urgent measures to protect children,” Ms. Zerrougui said. “Allowing access for lifesaving humanitarian assistance is essential. We cannot allow innocent children to continue to die because they can’t see a doctor, or because they can’t fulfil their basic needs.”   In the press conference, the Special Representative said she plans to travel to the region later this month to follow-up on her visit last December. The visit will also include stops in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Syria.   Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today reiterated that all parties to armed conflict must do everything to ensure the safety of children and the protection of their rights.   In particular, the UN agency noted as “horrific” the continuing trend of schools being attacked and used for military purposes, including car and other bombs detonated near schools.   “In conflict, schools must be seen by children, parents and families as protected safe havens where children can learn and grow to their full potential, while benefiting from a sense of normalcy in a context that is anything but normal for children,” UNICEF said.   A reported 167 education personnel, including 69 teachers, were killed up to the end of February 2013 and 2,445 schools are reported damaged, the UN agency noted, adding that in some areas, children have not been to school in over 18 months.   In Mali, where children are more than half of the population, the UN cited instances of children “severely affected” by the conflict – killed, injured, as well as sexually assaulted and recruited by armed groups operating in the northern part of the country.   “The serious deterioration of the security situation in Mali in 2012 was characterized by a large number of grave violations against children by various armed groups,” according to Secretary-General Ban’s report.   Hundreds of children, mainly boys between 12 and 15 years of age, were enlisted during the reporting period, mainly to man checkpoints and conduct patrols, while others joined out of poverty and religious affiliations.   The UN also received and looked into reports of sexual violence against girls which are believed to have been “widespread and systematic in northern Mali” since January 2012. At least 211 girls were raped, forced to marry or otherwise sexually abused.   Among other points related to Mali, there are dozens of reports of children being killed or maimed by weapons, mines and explosive remnants of war during the French and Malian military campaign initiated in January 2013, including during aerial bombardments.   “I am working to make sure that the deployment of a peacekeeping mission, in conjunction with the work of UN agencies and partners already on the ground, will allow us to improve our collective response to children’s needs,” Ms. Zerrougui said in the news release in reference to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA.   Meanwhile, in the Central African Republic (CAR), while the reporting period saw an overall decrease in the occurrence of grave violations against children, “all progress made earlier in the year has been erased” due to fighting resumed in December 2012 between the Government and the Séléka coalition, Ms. Zerrougui said.   “The United Nations received alarming reports continuing into 2013 of recruitment and use of children by armed groups and pro-Government militias, killing of children associated with those groups in the course of military operations and sexual violence against children by armed groups,” the report noted.   Although these developments do not fall within the reporting period, the progress achieved and the violations committed in 2012 need to be placed against the backdrop of the recent deterioration of the security situation, it further noted.   In addition to the Séléka coalition, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) was also responsible for a series of abuses against children, including the majority of the at least 41 cases of recruitment of children.   Ms. Zerrougui said that half of the country’s schools are closed and access to humanitarian assistance is extremely limited due. More than 2 million children do not currently have access to basic services.   In her presentation today, the Special Envoy highlighted the importance of developing partnerships with regional and sub-regional organizations to promote adequate protection for children affected by conflict. She also stressed the importance of ending impunity for grave violations against children. “International justice must step in when national courts lack the capacity or willingness to bring alleged perpetrators to justice,” said Ms. Zerrougui. “But it’s essential that we support Governments to reduce the accountability gap.” Visit the related web page
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