HRC44: Oral statement on children and armed conflict

Agenda Item 3:Special Representative to the Secretary General on children and armed conflict

Organisation:Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

Speaker:Claire Denman

Thank you, Madame President

CSW thanks the Special Representative and welcomes the inclusion of Nigeria among countries of concern listed in her latest report.

There has been a surge in violence by Boko Haram factions since December 2019. January 2020 saw a resumption in the original faction’s indiscriminate deployment of suicide bombers, including young children. In some instances, Boko Haram has compelled forcibly conscripted children to return to their homes and murder their former teachers.

Similarly, in January ISWAP released a video of a conscripted minor executing a Christian University student. Additionally, Leah Sharibu, one of 110 girls abducted from their school in Dapchi in 2018 by ISWAP, remains a captive for refusing to convert, and those who were returned were warned not to resume education.

Massive displacement as a result of attacks by terrorist groups in the north east, by Fulani herder militia in central states and by criminal gangs in the north-west has disrupted the education of many thousands of children.

The targeting of educational settings is aimed at restricting education both directly, through the destruction of places of learning, and indirectly, through the creation of fear and insecurity.

CSW urges the Nigerian government to ensure that police and army are adequately resourced – and mandated – to address the threat posed by all armed non-state actors and to protect vulnerable communities.

Madame Special Representative, your report highlights that “fighting impunity and bringing perpetrators to account should be a key element in any response to grave violations against children.” What measures can the international community put in place to address impunity and and foster peace in Nigeria?

Thank you.