Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga (R) representing Uganda at the Pan-African Conference on Children and Armed Conflict in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 15th October, 2019.
A Ugandan Pastor joined delegates from the African Union, government representatives and policy makers, child protection experts, members of academia and civil society who on Tuesday converged in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to demand African decision makers to enact changes in their countries to ensure children are safe in times of conflict.
Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga, the Executive Director at Kyampisi Childcare Ministries stated that “our humanity demands that we act. Every war is a war on children.”
They are meeting from 15 – 17 October as part of the inaugural Pan-African Conference on Children and Armed Conflict, organized by child-rights organisation African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) and international NGO Save the Children, with the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
According to a release by Relief Web, the conference includes Children and youth from Ethiopia, Mali, South Sudan, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They all seek to discuss how international and regional mechanisms can better protect children affected by armed conflict in Africa.
The conference is intended to act as both a wakeup call to policy makers in conflict-affected African countries, and as a platform in which to develop a Road Map for action to protect children in situations of conflict.
“The war on Africa’s children persists and it’s getting worse,” Dr Assefa Bequele, Executive Director of ACPF was quoted as saying by Relief Web.
“Africa’s leaders are failing to protect their children from the horrors of war. Despite repeated UN Security Council resolutions, international conventions and regional agreements, African children continue to suffer. Progress on protection is deplorably slow, and perpetrators are rarely brought to justice for war crimes and grave violations,” he added.
Other delegates from Uganda include H.E. Ambassador Rebbecca Otengo Amuge, the Permanent Representative to the AU, IGAD & UNECA, and Mr Jan Jaap Kleinrensink, the Country Director – Uganda, War Child Holland.
ACPF’s new report, ‘In the Firing Line: The War on Africa’s Children’ reveals that hundreds of thousands of children are dying every year as a result of conflict-induced malnutrition, disease and the breakdown of healthcare, water and sanitation.
At least one in four African children lives in a conflict zone and the numbers of ‘grave violations’ against children have almost tripled since 2010, according to Save the Children’s Stop the War on Children report, released in February 2019.
“We urge the UN, the African Union and warring parties to end the numerous wars on the continent and step-up measures to protect children affected by conflict,” said Helena Thybell, CEO of Save the Children Sweden. “We demand that children caught up in situations of conflict are afforded safety, justice and the practical help they need to recover.”
“African governments must take all necessary measures to end the killing and maiming, abductions, sexual violence, and recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, and they must cease attacks on schools, hospitals and humanitarian operations, as well as ensure that perpetrators of violations against children are held accountable”, she added.
Dr Assefa Bequele noted that: “The war on Africa’s children, often underreported, is fuelled by food insecurity, climate change, poor governance, absence of the rule of law, corruption, intercommunal tensions and violent extremism. Chronic underdevelopment, civil war, political instability and terrorism have created a perfect storm of child abductions, forced recruitment, rape and trafficking. Child protection in African conflict zones is weak, fragmented and underfunded.
“We hope that the Pan-African Conference on Children and Armed Conflict sends a clear message to the UN, AU, all actors to the conflicts, and to African political leaders. These tragedies are happening on our watch, and we are currently failing to protect children affected by armed conflict,” stated Dr. Bequele.
