Children

Canada Deeply Concerned by Shooting and Kidnapping of Polio Workers in Pakistan

Monday, February 16, 2015
The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, issued the following statement: “Humanitarian, development and security personnel should not have to fear for their lives as they provide critical assistance to the Pakistani people. There is no possible justification for such violence against health workers and those who protect them.”

UN Security Council Open Debate on Children in Armed Conflict: Building Momentum for the Need to Ensure Children's Access to Health in Conflict

Friday, September 12, 2014
On September 8, the United Nations Security Council and Member States convened at an Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict, to address the devastating impact these violent settings have on the security and healthy development of children. This occasion marked the second open debate on this issue, following the Secretary General’s July 1 Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict, and sadly comes at a time when children have been forced to bear the brunt of some of the most severe ramifications of war and civil unrest.

Act to Protect: Guidance Note on Attacks against Schools and Hospitals

Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Every child has a right to education and health. But when conflict means the end of learning for millions of children; when health services break down or access is denied; when easily treatable diseases become deadly, we must act. “We have seen it, we know what it is, and now we have to stop it, to tell the world who is responsible for these acts and to work together to use the tools we have to prevent and stop these horrible acts which can scar children for a lifetime,” said Special Representative Leila Zerrougui.

UN Security Council Passes Resolution on Children and Armed Conflict; Urges Safe Access to Health Care

Thursday, March 20, 2014
On March 7 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2143 on children and armed conflict. The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition makes particular note of paragraphs 16, 17, and 19. These contain language calling for children’s continued access to health care, condemning attacks on health facilities and health workers, and affirming children’s right to access services.

Collapse of Syrian Health System Puts Children's Lives at Risk

Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Syria’s shattered health system is forcing health workers to engage in brutal medical practices and a series of epidemics have left millions of children exposed to a plethora of deadly diseases, Save the Children says in a new report. The report, ‘A Devastating Toll: the Impact of Three Years of War on the Health of Syria’s Children’, sheds light on a broken health system and its consequences: children not just dying from violent means but from diseases that would previously either have been treatable or prevented.

Fighting Halts Polio Vaccination in Northern Syria

Monday, January 13, 2014
Heavy fighting has prevented health workers from getting polio vaccine to an estimated 100,000 Syrian children in the northeastern province of Raqqa, United Nations aid agencies said on Monday, appealing for access. The crippling infectious disease was confirmed in 17 children in Syria in October, the first outbreak there since 1999.

Human Rights Council Urges Protection of Children's Health during Armed Conflict

Monday, April 1, 2013
At the twenty-second session of the Human Rights Council in March, the council passed a resolution on children and the right to health (Rights of the child: the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health). In a section on “Health issues relating to children requiring special attention,” the council included language on children affected by armed conflicts. Paragraphs 25 and 27 are of particular interest to the work of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict coalition: