Childhood Under Siege: The Global War on Children -Abu Shahed and Md Tareq Hasan

Modern armed conflicts exhibit a distinct trend. In addition to the large number of civilian casualties, the picture of gross negligence in security is becoming more and more visible. This trend persists, ranging from the war in Ukraine or Gaza to the violence in Sudan or Myanmar. Another problem is increasing with these trends. Because of war, many cases are collapsing or disappearing due to the Geneva Convention on War. Many people believe that deliberate targeting of civilians occurs during war or conflict, given the current context. Whether this allegation is true or not, the matter is highly shocking and inexcusable.

We have seen that the parties in war are becoming more brutal towards children. However, the United Nations has always been vocal about ending cruelty to children. The organisation calls child abuse ‘grave violations’. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in the latest report on conflict among children that war-related violence and abuse disproportionately affect children.

Considering the words of the UN Secretary-General, it’s evident that the violence raging across the globe puts children in the most vulnerable position. Many cases involve the killing and maiming of children, rape, sexual violence, and abduction. Attackers target their schools and even recruit them as child soldiers. Such a trend naturally hurts everyone.

In 2022, the inhumane treatment of children in Myanmar escalated by more than 140 percent due to the civil war. Similarly, ongoing inter-communal violence is destroying the lives of children in South Sudan. The list of countries registered by the United Nations includes the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel-Palestine, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Yemen.

When the United Nations drew up the above list, the Gaza war had not yet begun. In other words, given the rate at which Gaza violence is killing children, Palestine should be at the top of the list. Undoubtedly, the current Gaza war’s child death rate will surpass all previous records for violence against children. The whole world knows about the children’s situation in Gaza.

Local Palestinian officials reported that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine has claimed the lives of 18,000 Palestinians under the age of 18. Many were injured. 20,000 people found themselves unaccompanied or separated from their families. It is impossible not to understand how terrible these numbers are.

Children suffer the most in every war. All the war stories and images are gruesome, scarred, and burned. In these wars, indiscriminate brutality targets young children without any justification. The account of the horrific deaths of children in Palestine is heartbreaking. Israeli attacks kill and injure hundreds of children in Gaza every day, and the number is rising by the hour, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said. According to a UNICEF survey, 12,000 children lost their lives in Syria’s 11-year civil war from 2011 to 2022, with an average of three children killed every day.

In the 12 years from 2009 to 2020, war-torn Afghanistan saw an average of two children killed every day. In addition, 8,099 children lost their lives. Yemen’s civil war claimed the lives of over 3,700 children between 2015 and 2022, an average of 1.5 per day. In the last 21 months, Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine has killed 510 children, or an average of 7.7 children per day. The Iraq war claimed the lives of 3,100 children between 2008 and 2022, averaging 6.6 per day.

The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF has expressed concern that war always has a serious impact on children’s mental health. The situation of children in Gaza is even more dire. In this situation, more than 1 million children in Gaza are in urgent need of emotional support.

The children of war-torn Gaza are going through many hardships. Common symptoms include high levels of panic and anxiety, loss of appetite, inability to sleep, etc. Above all, whenever the sound of bombings reaches their ears, they fall into extreme mental instability and panic.

When war or conflict occurs in a country or region, malnutrition and disease, especially in children, occur. Disease becomes the worst enemy for young children. Even in such circumstances, inhumane treatment of children constitutes a violation of international law. In particular, it is an instance of making a mockery of the Geneva Conventions.

According to UNICEF, children are the first victims of all wars. They experience the most pain and hurt. However, war also has rules. In the words of UNICEF, “No child should be cut off from essential services during war.” No child should be held hostage. We must protect hospitals and schools from bomb attacks. If we cannot ensure the safety of children, the next generation will have to shoulder the responsibility.

Unfortunately, the warring parties do not listen to these words from UNICEF. It is not concerned at all with international law or the Geneva Convention. Otherwise, how come the condition of children in Gaza is so dire? We note that while there is much talk about stopping the Gaza war, the failure is more apparent in the question of a ceasefire. Meanwhile, child mortality continues to rise in Gaza. Every 15 minutes, an estimated child passes away in Gaza. The news is even more alarming: at least two mothers are dying every hour. How terrible is that? Do you even think?

An Israeli writer named Gideon Levy railed against Tel Aviv for standing up for the children of Gaza. Criticising the Israeli army, Levy said, “This is undoubtedly a violent rampage.” It will also affect Israeli society. In the end, Israel will have to pay the price.’’ Levy also said, “Israel is erasing future generations in Gaza. Soldiers are brutally killing children. Will individuals who have killed children in such a manner forget their actions? How long will the sane people of the world remain silent?”

This is about the children of Gaza. The ongoing war in Ukraine, which began in 2022, has put the children of this region in grave danger. Russia stands accused of illegally abducting thousands of children from Ukraine. Kiev has reported that they have received about 200,000 child abduction complaints, out of which they have registered 1,200 cases. Despite discussions and criticism about these allegations in various Western media outlets, Kiev has not taken any action to rescue the missing children.

A couple of months ago, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs attended a conference called ‘Russia’s War on Children’. “Russia is deliberately erasing the identity of Ukrainian children and causing incredible emotional and psychological damage,” he said in a speech at the conference in the capital, Riga. Putin has effectively turned child trafficking into a weapon of war, essentially trying to destroy Ukraine’s future.”

Children in Ethiopia are also facing various crises. More than 3 million children suffer from malnutrition. In a country of 126 million people, 45 percent of people are under 15 years of age. The absence of assistance has deteriorated the people’s situation to such an extreme degree that people are drawing comparisons between this crisis and the challenging circumstances of 1984. One million Ethiopians died in the famine that occurred between drought and war. The United Nations has already expressed concern that “more than 2 million Ethiopians are in dire need of food aid.” It goes without saying that Ethiopian children’s condition is solely responsible for the “Tigre crisis.”

Armed groups, terrorists, and various criminal gangs are forcibly using children for their own interests. The trend of ‘forced child military recruitment’ is on the rise worldwide. According to the United Nations, between 2005 and 2022, more than 150,000 children (boys and girls) were involved in violent conflicts.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that child soldiers serve not only as combatants but also as guards, surveillance agents, and couriers. Most alarmingly, children are sexually exploited. Daniel Noboa, the president of Ecuador, recently brought attention to a statistic that demonstrates the use of children in crimes like murder, drug trafficking, and robbery.

Children’s legal protections during war

Yes! Children are legally protected in war. The Geneva Conventions passed internationally recognised rules of armed conflict in 1949. The Geneva Conventions mandate the protection and humane treatment of children during times of war. Just two years after the Holocaust claimed the lives of one and a half million Jewish children in Europe, Israel ratified the Convention’s provisions in 1951. But Israel does not recognise the 4th Geneva Convention. The 4th Convention deals with the protection of civilians fighting against occupation. Israel does not consider Palestine an occupied land. Israel views the disproportionate use of military force in Gaza as a legitimate means of destroying Hamas. Therefore, Israel claims that the death of civilians, including children, is not a war crime.

What’s the effect of armed conflict on children?

A 30-year-old mother told Al Jazeera her two children, aged 8 and 2, have been vomiting since the airstrikes. The vomiting is a reaction to intense fear. These two children are like 95 percent of Palestinian children in Gaza, who live with the psychological effects of war every day. Palestinian psychologist Dr. Iman Farazallah found that child survivors of war pay high psychological, emotional, and behavioural costs. Many children exhibit restlessness or violent behaviour.

Gaza City resident Samah Jabar (35), a mother of four, worries about her eldest son, Qusay (13). He told Al Jazeera: “He gets very excited and hits others a lot these days. He jumps at any word. He can’t stand it when someone talks loudly. He can’t stand it, even when someone makes a funny joke. I always tell him, “The war will end.” Many children, even teenagers, are afraid to go into a room other than their mother.

How are children’s schools affected?

The constant bombardment in Gaza has halted education. The constant bombardment has transformed schools into temporary shelters. Survival is the only goal now. The United Nations is currently sheltering nearly 400,000 displaced Gazans in schools and other buildings. UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, operates 278 schools in Gaza. The Israeli bombing, they said, damaged at least four schools and killed at least six people. A bomb attack destroyed the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, which provides scholarships for Palestinians at Gaza’s al-Fakhura school. “Collective punishments, reprisals, and attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are serious violations of international human rights law and, if committed intentionally, constitute war crimes,” the EAA said in a statement.

What are the long-term consequences?

British Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sitta, who works with Medical Aid for Palestinians in Gaza, said those who survive the war will have to learn to live without the rest of their families. He referred to this war as a “war on children.” “We will not only lose those killed in this war, but we will also bear the devastating psychological impact on civilians and children,” Mohammad Abu Rukbeh said in a statement.

“A child is simply a child.” We must always protect children and never attack them. “We are failing to protect children. It’s shameful and tragic. End violence against children in war,” he added.