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Summary: Briefing by Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict. [15 February 2012] - Excellency, Thank you for convening this special meeting and for inviting me to brief the Security Council Working Group on the situation of children in Syria. My Office has been following the developments in Syria closely for the past ten months. Access to affected populations has been limited due to security and other constraints. As a result, the information that I will present today reflects only a small part of the suffering children have experienced in Syria in the recent period. This picture that is developing is very alarming. On a daily basis, my Office receives reports of grave violations against children. The violations committed against children go beyond a pattern of killing and maiming of children across Syria. We have also received reports on the cases of detention of children charged with alleged association with armed groups, ill-treatment, and acts tantamount to torture which have resulted in the deaths of children in some cases. We have approached the Syrian government on these allegations. Additional reports point to the military use of schools by Syrian security forces and to hospitals being struck by heavy artillery. Mr. Chairman, Children are dying in Syria in the on going conflict. By the end of January 2012, UN sources report that more than 400 children, including at least 50 girls, were killed mostly in Homs, Daraa, Hama, and Rif Damascus where the majority of Government security operations are taking place. It has been well documented that children were killed or injured in crossfire and by the use of heavy artillery on civilian areas. Some children have been hit by live ammunition used against demonstrators, and several of those killed had multiple gunshot wounds. These killings have been attributed to the Syrian military forces, the security services and elements of the Government-backed Shahiba militia. There have been also indiscriminate bomb attacks most recently in Aleppo that have taken the lives of a large number of civilians, including children. The actual perpetrators have yet to be identified. The arrest and detention of children for alleged association with armed groups is also of great concern. Some 400 children have been detained by security forces by the end of 2011. Children are arrested along with adults (en masse) during demonstrations or raids on communities. These detentions last from a few hours to days and months. Children are reportedly detained along with adults in overcrowded facilities, and deprived of access to legal assistance and their families. The age breakdown of children detained is alarming: more than 40 per cent of the children are between 10 and 15 years old, and some reports indicate that 5 per cent are even below the age of 10 years. Mr. Chairman, Allegations of ill-treatment of children and acts tantamount to torture during detention are reported on a large scale. These violations range from humiliating treatment to threats of imminent execution, food and water deprivation, solitary confinement, beatings, electric shocks and acts of sexual violence. In some cases, this may have led to the death of children. In today’s Syria, schools are not zones of peace and hospitals are not safe places for children anymore. School facilities have reportedly been used as detention centres. The Syrian authorities also claimed to have used schools as military bases to ensure the protection of the Syrian armed forces. The presence of snipers on school roofs has also been signalled. In one case, we received reports that security forces targeted a high school in the Damascus suburbs in the belief that the students were involved in the protests. The head teacher was also detained and the school was forced to close for a week. In the same vein, reports point to the fact that hospitals and field hospitals are being struck by heavy artillery. Others are being used as detention facilities. Lack of access to medical services is also becoming a worrying trend in the most affected areas. Apart from military operations that prevent civilians from accessing hospitals, reports indicate that people injured, including children, are afraid of seeking medical treatment in Government-run facilities out of fear of being associated with the opposition. Similarly, medical workers have been intimidated and threatened by the security forces for having provided or being suspected of providing medical assistance to injured civilians. I would like to reiterate the statement I made last week and reaffirm the grave concerns of the human rights and humanitarian community about the situation in Homs. For two weeks now, the Syrian armed forces have been shelling the besieged city and information received speaks of hundreds of deaths in the last couple of days alone. Our concerns for children go beyond killing and maiming and include the risks of a humanitarian crisis, lack of access to medical services and supplies, and the closure of schools. Mr. Chairman, members of the Working group, What happens to children happens behind closed doors. Human rights monitors are prevented from having access to affected populations in Syria. As a result, there is no United Nations-verified information at this stage, only credible allegations from UN sources. My Office is actively working on verifying allegations of violations against children so that we can provide the Council with solid information by the time of publication of the Secretary-General report in June. In this context, I have contacted the Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations to reaffirm the commitment of my Office to cooperate with the Mission in order to facilitate exchange of views and relevant information on children. I will also continue to advocate for provision of access to affected areas for human rights and child rights monitors. In the meantime I will also approach the Syrian government about the possibility of a visit in the coming weeks to advocate for the rights of children with the authorities and to galvanise a UN system wide response to the violations committed against children. In the meantime, we should not remain silent. I would appeal to the Working Group to send a clear signal, condemning the grave violations against children and in urging access for UN workers and monitors. The images from the media are alarming enough but the facts on the ground point to children as a particularly vulnerable group. The high rate of violations is a cause of serious concern. We call on member states to take all necessary action to protect the children of Syria. Thank you.