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Summary: The information below is based on the 2011 report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council (A/65/820-S/2011/250) issued on 23 April 2011. More information is available in the report.
The United Nations and child protection organizations remain deeply concerned about the politicization of children and their potential participation in armed clashes between opposing political forces or in political demonstrations. However, the collection of accurate and credible evidence on the association of children with armed groups remains problematic owing to the lack of monitoring mechanisms in Lebanon at this time. The Government of Lebanon has not yet ratified the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The impact of ongoing political volatility, acute socio-economic inequities, significant school dropout rates and high youth unemployment among Palestine refugees in comparison to the host population also constitute major risk factors for the increased association of children with political armed violence, or with violent extremism in some Palestinian camps. It should be noted that significant amendments to the Labour Code and the Social Security Law adopted by the Lebanese Parliament in 2010 aim at improving access to the private sector labour market by Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. On a positive note, 9 out of the 12 children detained on national security grounds, some held owing to their alleged association with Fatah al-Islam, as reported in my last report, were released this year. Two of the detainees turned 18 during the year and were transferred to adult facilities. The presence of cluster munitions used by Israel during the war in 2006 continues to pose a serious danger to the civilian population living near contaminated areas. Since the end of the conflict in August 2006, the number of incidents among civilians has reached 347, including 44 fatalities and 303 injuries, among them 102 children. There are also ongoing threats related to landmines and unexploded ordnance, with 17 civilian casualties recorded during the reporting period. This includes the killing of one child and the maiming of three others in a single incident in a Palestinian camp in Beddawi (northern Lebanon), which is currently being investigated by the Lebanese Mine Action Centre. On 17 August, the Lebanese Parliament ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions.