WAR
ON
CHILDREN
~ Nada Ziam Faruqi & Hisham Siddiqui [Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh]
WE REALLY NEED TO SHIFT THE BURDEN OF THIS DEBATE ONTO
OURSELVES INSTEAD OF STEALING THE LUSTROUS SMILES. THE SOONER
WE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, THE BETTER.
INTRODUCTION
In this era of Unipolarity, with America as the
Ringmaster, the contemporary geopolitics suffers from
serious anarchy. Although unipolarity is believed to be 'an
interstate system and not an Empire', the present political
climate has presented before us, exactly what has been
denied. Amidst warfare, brutality, venality and absolute
lawlessness–those are primarily our concerns, anyway–
we have made our children suffer a lot, displaying nothing
but sheer savagery. In the name of 'War on Terror', in the
name of 'installing democracies', in the name of
establishing ethnic identities, in the course of 'want of
Freedom', or in the course of protecting the homeland–
childhood is largely being stolen from the World. We see
the military use of Children at an uncanny pace. “Military
use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take
direct part in hostilities (child soldiers), or they can be
used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers,
lookouts; or they can be used for political advantage either
as human shields or in propaganda.”
Apart from that, even children dying out of starvation in
Sub-Saharan Africa and in the North-Eastern Indian
states, children dying out of diseases due to poor medical
facilities, child trafficking, Child Sexual Abuse, children
being beaten and harassed in schools, bullying– these are
all darker or lighter shades of what we intend to
encapsulate within the meaning of 'Wars on Children.'
Young boys pelting stones on Army tanks in Kashmir echo
a message that something is really, really fractured in the
edifice of our Democracy. Throwing out of a street kid by
McDonald's in Pune, because he was trying to buy Fanta
Float slyly passed on a message that Capitalism won't
entertain the 'underdressed, poor brat' into its fold. We
may conclude: Children and women have always been an
easy target, come what may.
DENIAL OF HUMANITARIAN ACCESS
In the situations of war, armed rebellion and insurgency;
humanitarian access is immensely required for the
civilians who are affected mentally as well as physically.
According to the information on the website of United
Nations Office of the Special Representative of the
Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict titled,
'Denial
of
Humanitarian
Access'–
"Denial
of
humanitarian access entails blocking the free passage or
timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to persons in
need as well as the deliberate attacks against
humanitarian workers." It is also estimated by the same
source that in today’s conflicts around the globe, 80
millions of children are denied humanitarian assistance.
Access can be denied or hampered by parties to conflict for
security or political reasons. In many parts of the world,
humanitarian assistance is sometimes interrupted because
of ongoing fighting.
ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT AND THE CHILD
RIGHTS' VIOLATIONS
The Report of the Secretary-General to the Security
Council issued on 15 May, 2014 presents the following
information:"Palestinian and Israeli children continued to be affected
by the prevailing situation of military occupation, conflict
and closure. Eight Palestinian children (six boys and two
girls) were killed and 1,265 were injured in the occupied