Machel Report: armed conflict "brutal" for children

198 views · Published 16 June 2009 · 1:22 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: United Nations · 2009 · News & Politics

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United Nations, New York, 16 June 2009 - Noon briefing by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. A ten-year review of the Machel Report on the impact of amred conflict on children has found that one billion children - one sixth of the world's total population - now live in countries or territories affected by armed conflict.

Outlining the changing nature of armed conflict, the review shows the devastating impact that the proliferation of small arms, armed groups, recruitment, attacks on schools and hospitals, and sexual violence have on children.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, and the UN children's agency, UNICEF, are now urging states to uphold their responsibility to protect their youngest citizens.

Children and Armed Conflict website: http://www.un.org/children/conflict/english/home6.html

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