CRINMAIL 152:

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In Syria, the violent repression of the demonstrations that started in March has caused the death of more than 1,200 civilians, including 77 children. Full story.

In an attempt to increase pressure on the UN Security Council, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Portugal have circulated a draft resolution that would condemn the crackdown and demand an immediate end to the violence in Syria. Yet the proposal falls short of calling for military action or further UN sanctions against the Syrian government. Read more

Video footage has emerged showing the body of Thamer Al-Sahri, a 15-year-old boy reportedly tortured to death after his arrest in April following a government crackdown on pro-democracy protests in the country. He was arrested along with his friend, 13-year-old Hamza al-Khateeb - the teenager whose brutal death caused much of the world to pay closer attention to the events in Syria. Thamer's body was returned to his parents with a broken neck, broken leg, bullet holes, missing an eye and several teeth.

A former member of the Syrian Republican Guard has told Amnesty International that he and other soldiers were ordered to open fire on unarmed protesters holding a pro-reform demonstration in Harasta, near Damascus, in April. Read more

Since the popular protest against the regime erupted in Libya four months ago, children have been trapped inside their homes, unable to go to school or even to play outside.

The Human Rights Council held an interactive dialogue last week on the report of the International Commission of Inquiry to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in Libya.

The report highlights acts constituting murder, unlawful imprisonment and other forms of violations of fundamental rules of international law. Such acts fall within the meaning of "crimes against humanity" as defined in Article 7 of the Rome Statute and under customary international law.  Read more

The conflict in Sudan between government troops and members of the former southern rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) has caused the displacement of between 30,000 and 40,000 people from Kadugli, the capital of Sudan's oil-producing border state of South Kordofan, according to the UN. Read Article

"Crimes against humanity and genocide continue unabated in Darfur," International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the Security Council. Read more

2011 Annual Report of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict

Every year the Secretary-General lists those parties to conflict who recruit and use, kill and maim or commit rape and other forms of sexual violence against children in conflict.

“2010 proved another tragic year for children in conflicts all over the world. We’ve taken no parties off of the list and added four more--two in Yemen and two in Iraq,” said Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy. Read more

UN urges greater protection of children

Somalia has had no fully functioning national government and has been wracked by factional warfare since the collapse in 1991 of the administration led by the late Muhammad Siad Barre.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that violence in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has driven the number of child casualties to a new high, and that the main causes of children’s deaths were burns, chest injuries and internal haemorrhage resulting from blasts, shrapnel and bullets.

According to UNICEF, “Children in central-south Somalia face never-ending suffering in what is arguably one of the most extreme, indiscriminate and complex conflicts in today’s world”. Read more

After a week long visit to Kabul, a Security Council delegation reiterated its calls for better protection of children and other civilians in Afghanistan who are caught in conflict, as the United Nations body prepares to take tougher measures to boost security for schools and medical facilities in war zones.

The visit comes one month before the 15-member Council takes up a draft resolution condemning attacks on schools and medical facilities in the context of protecting children in armed conflict. The debate will be led by Germany, which will hold the rotating presidency of the Council in July.

Bill criminalising use of children in armed conflict

The House of Representatives in the Philippines has approved a bill criminalising the use of children by the military, the police and other armed groups in armed conflicts.

The approval of a bill is a good step, but significant hurdles remain in fulfilling its potential, said Human Rights Watch (HRW). One of the obstacles is that most of the recruitment and use of children is being carried out by three armed political groups over whom the government has no control.

Armed groups in Colombia are recruiting indigenous children

According to the press office of the Colombian army, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are recruiting children as young as 12 from indigenous territories in the south west of country.

The FARC allegedly use their young recruits to transport anti-personnel mines and provision. Read more

The recruitment of children under 18 years is clearly criminalised in the Colombian Penal Code (Law No. 599 of 2000, article 162). The law is applicable to both non-State armed groups as well as the armed forces and the definition of the crime includes both direct as well as indirect participation of children, including the use of children for intelligence purposes.

SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict to visit Chad

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict will visit Chad this week to sign an Action Plan for the release of Children associated with the Chadian National Army and Security Forces.

Chad is one of only six governments listed by the Secretary-General for violations against children in armed conflict.

The Chadian Government has prepared an action plan that seeks to ensure the full demobilisation of children from the Chadian National Army (ANT) and associated forces, and to establish mechanisms to monitor and prevent the recruitment and use of children in the future. Read more

UK’s young army recruits are given the right of discharge

The Ministry of Defence has decided that recruits under the age of 18 will have the right of discharge. "It represents a significant step towards implementing the spirit of the Optional Protocol on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict", commented Michael Bartlet, Parliamentary Liaison Secretary for Quakers in Britain.

Read previous CRINMAIL on the issue.

Fewer attacks on schools in Afghanistan

Taliban insurgents are attacking fewer schools, easing the way for more boys and girls to attend, even in largely insecure areas of the country, Afghan education officials say.

While still gloomy, the numbers are down to an average of about eight a month, less than half the monthly average recorded by the ministry in the previous two years.

Mullah Muhammad Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban, is believed to have issued a decree in March forbidding his fighters to attack schools and intimidate schoolchildren. Read full article

Women's Human Rights at the Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council (HRC) is holding its 17th session from 30 May to 17 June 2010.

Last Friday, June 10, the HRC concluded its annual discussion on women’s human rights with a panel discussion focusing on conflict-related violence against women.

Kyun-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said conflict situations exacerbated pre-existing patterns of gender discrimination and put women and girls at heightened risk of sexual, physical and psychological violence.

In the discussion, speakers said millions of women around the world were far from enjoying the rights they were guaranteed by the various conventions, as violence against women was among the most widespread forms of discrimination.

The instrumentalisation of women in the media, female genital mutilation and the spread of HIV/AIDS as a weapon of war were but some examples illustrating the painful reality in which women were forced to live.

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