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The Council discussed a range of human rights issues under the item of ‘other issues’ in the afternoon session. The main themes that were focused on included a statement by Norway, on behalf of 54 States; on human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity; and children in armed conflict. Finland (on behalf of the EU) stressed that an essential function of the Council was to address the rights of the most vulnerable, especially to protect children in all circumstances. They drew attention to violations experienced by children in armed conflict. They welcomed the Secretary-General’s report on this issue and the recent debate at the Security Council. They also emphasised the need for continued reporting by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict to the General Assembly and the Council on progress made and future challenges. Finland drew attention to the recruitment of children in hostilities and abductions of children from their families in Sri Lanka. They urged the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to immediately cease recruitment of children and expressed concern that the Karuna group is also abducting children ‘in areas under government’s control’. They called on the Government to initiate ‘credible investigations’. The International Commission of Jurists also urged the Council to explore with Sri Lanka a full-fledged field operation and called for a special session of the Council at an early date. Sri Lanka responded that they had reservations to the attempts by some States and NGOs to associate the Government with the Karuna group, which they stated was a breakaway faction of the LTTE. They informed the Council that a high-level investigation was currently underway into allegations of abductions. Finland stated that reliable reports confirmed a continuing practice of ethnically targeted sexual violence against women and girls, particularly in areas of displaced populations and violence against women and girls in Darfur. They re-iterated that it was the primary responsibility of the Sudanese Government to protect all individuals against violations and to adequately address the situation in Darfur. They also spoke about the General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the recruitment of child soldiers in Myanmar (Burma). They stated that the declared willingness of the Government of Myanmar to cooperate was welcomed by the Resolution but that only a few days ago the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had reported that the Government had ordered the closure of their field offices. The EU called on Myanmar to re-establish dialogue with the ICRC so that it may resume its activities. Algeria responded to the EU statement by taking exception to the fact that Lebanon was not mentioned in the EU’s list of countries, though one third of all deaths in the recent conflict were of children. The Algerian Ambassador declared that the Council had been challenged by the head of the Commission of Inquiry to respond to these actions, and that members should ‘express their humanity’ in a more non-selective manner. Sweden and the Netherlands offered a joint statement adding that the High Commissioner plays a crucial role in the rights of children, for example with regards to the work of OHCHR field offices in Columbia and the reports of sexual violence against girls that the offices have highlighted. New Zealand mentioned its hope that the Council would dedicate time to discuss the work of the Independent Expert for the UN study on violence against children, and further wished to see time set aside to discuss the report of the Secretary-General on violence against women. [Source: ISHR]