Hydrabad:

 The world can often be a perilous place for innocent children. With terror, sexual abuse, and various forms of violence lurking in the shadows, it can be a challenging environment for them. Too often, children fall victim to these societal evils, living with a lifetime of trauma and horror.

June 4 is the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression. The United Nations General Assembly established this day in 1982 to raise awareness and recognise the suffering of children worldwide who are victims of physical, mental, and emotional abuse. It’s also a day that the UN affirms its duty to protect children’s rights.

Each year, the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed to raise awareness about the innocent children who have endured terrifying experiences and to highlight what we can do to uphold the rights of children and support victims of aggression.

The purpose of this day is to acknowledge the suffering experienced by children worldwide who are victims of physical, mental, and emotional abuse. This day reaffirms the UN's commitment to protecting children's rights. Its efforts are guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most rapidly and widely ratified international human rights treaty in history.

History Behind The Day:

On August 19, 1982, during its emergency special session on the question of Palestine, the General Assembly, “appalled at the great number of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese children victims of Israel’s acts of aggression,” decided to commemorate June 4 each year as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.

The highlights of the UN Secretary-General's Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict reveal alarming data:

11,649 children were killed or injured. In most cases, the use of explosive ordnance—including explosive weapons, remnants of war, improvised explosive devices, and landmines, particularly in populated areas—was responsible for these fatalities and injuries.

There were 5,205 incidents of denial of humanitarian access. From 2022 to 2023, this denial increased by over 32%, often coinciding with a rise in other grave violations. For 2024, denial of humanitarian access is expected to worsen in several contexts due to the implementation of restrictive regulations that increase control over humanitarian organisations and personnel, particularly in Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Sudan.

1,650 incidents occurred in schools and hospitals. From 2021, when Security Council Resolution 2601 was adopted, to 2023, attacks on schools rose by nearly 60%. Attacks on girls' schools and the abduction of girls while at school or on their way to school have frequently targeted girls' education as a result of harmful gender norms.

8,655 children were recruited or used, and 4,356 were abducted, with the highest numbers verified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Nigeria. Almost 30% of the victims were girls. Factors such as sex, age, disability, ethnicity, religion, geopolitical location, and economic status primarily determine a child's risk of recruitment, the ways they are exploited, and the violations they endure.

1,470 children were victims of sexual violence. Sexual violence in conflict is the most underreported grave violation for both girls and boys due to stigma and lack of legal protection. More than 90% of these acts were perpetrated against girls, who are disproportionately affected by sexual violence and forced marriage, although incidents of sexual violence against boys have also increased.

Important Facts About Child Victims

Every 4 minutes, somewhere in the world, a child is killed by an act of violence.

About 90 million children alive today have experienced sexual violence.

650 million girls and women (1 in 5) alive today were subjected to sexual violence as children, including over 370 million (1 in 8) who experienced rape or sexual assault.

In fragile settings, girls face an even greater risk, with the prevalence of rape and sexual assault in childhood slightly more than 1 in 4.

Nearly 50 million adolescent girls aged 15-19 (1 in 6) have been victims of physical or sexual violence by their husbands or partners in the past year.

410 to 530 million boys and men (around 1 in 7) experienced sexual violence in childhood, including 240 to 310 million (around 1 in 11) who were raped or sexually assaulted.

1.6 billion children (2 in 3) regularly face violent punishment at home; more than two-thirds are subjected to both physical punishment and psychological aggression.

Violence takes the lives of about 130,000 children and adolescents under 20 each year on average.

Boys face a higher risk of dying from violence: 3 out of every 4 children and adolescents killed by violence were boys.

The risk of dying from violence rises sharply in late adolescence: 7 in 10 children who died from violence were between the ages of 15 and 19, most of them boys.

Close to 550 million children (around 1 in 4) live with mothers who are victims of intimate partner violence.

Sustainable Development: Securing A Better Future For Children

More must be done to protect the millions of children living in conflict-affected countries and regions. Efforts must be intensified to shield children from targeting by violent extremists, promote international humanitarian and human rights law, and ensure accountability for violations of children's rights.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a universal road map to secure a better future for children. For the first time, the new agenda includes a specific target aimed at ending all forms of violence against children, while addressing the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children across several other related targets.

Some Least Safe Countries for Children:

Pakistan

Egypt

Mozambique

Vietnam

China

Argentina

Russia

Nigeria

Indonesia

Goal.16: Promote Peaceful and Inclusive Societies for Sustainable Development

The dangers of international murder, violence against children, human trafficking, and sexual violence are important issues to tackle in order to create peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. Addressing these problems helps ensure access to justice for everyone and supports the creation of strong, responsible institutions at all levels (United Nations, 2019).

To face these challenges and build safer, more inclusive communities, we need better and clearer laws, along with realistic government budgets. A key first step in protecting individual rights is to implement global birth registration and establish more independent national human rights organizations around the world (United Nations, 2019).

Read More:

Champions RCB Players Arrive At Bengaluru Airport; Deputy CM DK Shivakumar Welcomes Players