"Worrying Trend" Of Children Being Recruited For Terror Activities: India At UN
NDTV
The debate came a week after the report of the Secretary General on 'Children and Armed Conflict' which mentions that over 25% of child casualties were caused by mines, explosive devices.
India has expressed concern on the rising number of children recruited and involved in terrorism-related activities, terming it as a "dangerous and worrying trend" and asked UN member states to demonstrate "greater political will" to hold the perpetrators of terrorism and their sponsors to account and also fulfil the Security Council's child protection obligations.
Addressing the UNSC high-level open debate on Children and Armed Conflict on Tuesday, Charge d'affaires at India's Permanent Mission to the UN Ambassador R Ravindra said school closures due to the pandemic have been misused by terrorist groups to target children, including through online avenues, for radicalisation and indoctrination in violent extremist ideologies.
"A dangerous and worrying trend in global terrorism is the rising number of children that are recruited and involved in terrorism-related activities. For terror groups, children are most susceptible to manipulation, whether as active participants in terror or as human shields to protect the perpetrators of terror," he said.
"There is an urgent need for a more coordinated approach in implementing the child protection and counter terrorism agenda. Member states need to demonstrate greater political will to hold the perpetrators of terrorism and their sponsors to account, and to fulfil the Council's child protection obligations," Ravindra said.
