Phl still in UN 'shame list' of attacks on schools

Manila, Philippines - The Philippines remains in the United Nations’ “shame list” of countries where combatants in armed conflicts are deliberately attacking schools or forcing them to close.

The latest annual report of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict has indicated that none of the 22 countries where conflicts were monitored have been taken off the list, although progress has been made in some countries.

Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN envoy for children and armed conflict, said progress has been made in the Philippines, Sudan and Somalia, and she was encouraged that more parties in the shame list are approaching the UN to enter into an action plan.

According to the UN report, an increasing number of parties to armed conflicts around the world are deliberately attacking schools or forcing them to close in a disturbing and growing trend.

The annual report found that out of 22 conflicts that were monitored, attacks against schools and hospitals were reported in at least 15.

The physical damage or destruction of schools is the most re-occurring violation, but there are also reports of schools being closed because of military occupation or direct threats.

“The infrastructure of schools have been physically destroyed by armed actors, and students and educational personnel have been attacked, threatened or intimidated,” the report said.

“In some situations, girls and girls’ schools have been specifically targeted. The use of schools by armed elements has, in certain circumstances, compromised the civilian nature of schools and put students at risk,” it added.

The report recommended to the UN Security Council to add the armies, rebel militia and other insurgent groups that target schools to its “list of shame” that already includes groups that recruit or use child soldiers, kill or maim children or commit acts of sexual violence against them.

Coomaraswamy said naming and shaming parties was important since they acted as a catalyst for them to change their practices, and in some cases has led to the framing of action plans for ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

She said schools must always be safe places of learning for children.

“They should be zones of peace. Those who attack schools and hospitals should know that they will be held accountable,” Coomaraswamy said.

Overall, the Special Representative said the year 2010 was “another tragic year” for the world’s youngsters.

The report stressed that all parties to conflict, including international forces mandated to intervene, must meet their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.

The report examined armed conflicts last year in Afghanistan, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nepal, the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, southern Thailand, Uganda and Yemen.

Coomaraswamy and the communist National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) agreed last month during a visit to the Philippines to develop an action plan to ensure that no children are among the ranks of the New People’s Army (NPA), or are involved in the armed conflict.

The NDFP is representing the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the NPA in peace talks with the Philippine government.

The action plan will be finalized in high-level talks between the Office of the Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Coomaraswamy, and the NDFP.

The NPA, together with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf, is listed in the Secretary-General’s report on children and armed conflict for using and recruiting girls and boys.

Before Coomaraswamy’s meeting with the NDFP, the Philippine government gave its full consent to UN efforts to initiate a dialogue with the group.

During her trip to Mindanao, Coomaraswamy met with the MILF leadership and agreed that the ongoing process of registration of children associated with the armed group will be completed in nine months.

She said she was pleased to learn that, since the signing of the action plan, the MILF has made strides in implementing the plan and taken action to build awareness of the agreement within their ranks and communities.

Coomaraswamy urged the MILF leadership to enforce compliance with the action plan and suggested that accountability measures as well as complaints procedures be put in place.

To date, around 600 children have been registered by trained community members with the support of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and now the focus is on ensuring that these children have access to basic services such as education, health and community programs to prevent recruitment.

Coomaraswamy said the UN would provide technical assistance to the armed forces’ human rights units, including the human rights focal point.

The Special Representative also raised the issue of occupations of schools in some districts.

Coomaraswamy and UNICEF Representative in the Philippines Vanessa Tobin were encouraged by the proposed law for the protection of children affected by armed conflict that is being debated by members of the House of Representatives.

The Special Representative said the UN and its partners in the field were encouraged by the recent initiatives with regard to the peace process in the Philippines.