- Full Report in English PDF
Recent UN Security Council resolutions on the situation in Afghanistan have not addressed the critical concerns of Afghan children and adolescents. The protection of these children, which transcends ethnic and political divides, should be used as a unifying force in broad social reconstruction efforts. Now that the UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution affirming the central role it will play in setting up a new transitional authority in Afghanistan, we urge the Security Council to call for any UN mandated authority to include the following provisions to protect Afghan children’s rights:
- Uninterrupted humanitarian access to all war-affected, refugee and internally displaced Afghan children and adolescents.
- The incorporation of children’s concerns into the peace agenda of UN Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi, including the comprehensive assessment of children’s needs.
- Child protection advisers reporting at the highest UN levels who will work to protect and promote children’s rights, including monitoring and assessing the situation of children, with regular reports provided to the Security Council.
- Resources and programming for the disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation of child combatants, including assistance for girls who may have been forced into marriages, prostitution or other sexual activity. This includes appropriate counseling, learning and vocational opportunities.
- The establishment of a centralized and coordinated tracking and family reunification program to cope with child separation.
- Awareness training for all peacekeeping and other UN staff on issues of human rights, and children’s rights in particular. Mechanisms should be included to deal with alleged violations of human rights, including children rights, by peacekeepers and/or UN staff.
- Peace and recovery programs that take into account the special protection needs of women and girls, ensuring that any transitional and long-term government respects the rights of women and girls and ensures equal access to health and education resources, including reproductive health. Any programs aimed a protecting and promoting women’s and children’s rights should ensure their direct participation.
- Incentives for efforts to establish local civil society groups and strengthen local groups’ capacity to monitor and protect human rights, including children’s rights.
- Programs to limit the use of child labor, including increased access to education and appropriate guardian programs to protect orphaned, unaccompanied and street children.
- Education and awareness programs for Afghan children and others regarding the hazards of unexploded ordnances and landmines, including support for clearance and disarmament programs and the destruction of small arms stockpiles.
- Comprehensive educational opportunities, for boys and girls, in coordination with the pre-existing educational efforts of outside agencies.
