News Alert Children IDPs: New resolution to protect children approved, despite unprecedented opposition

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Last month, the United Nations Security Council approved the adoption of a Resolution on children and armed conflict, calling on member states to bring armed groups that recruit, kill or sexually attack children in armed conflicts to justice. The resolution, while supported by eleven members of the Security Council, faced abstentions by China, Russia, Pakistan and Azerbaijan which left a bitter taste for children’s rights defenders. There are at least 13.5 million internally displaced children in the world, forced from their homes by conflicts in Africa, Asia,Europe, and theAmericas. Children are particularly vulnerable in situations of displacement. Faced with the loss of family and community structures, they become increasingly at risk of forced labor, forced early marriage, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and recruitment into armed groups. While it is the first time that member states have abstained from voting on a resolution that aims at protecting children, the adoption of the Resolution backs up the mandate of the newly appointed UN Special Representative on children and armed conflict, Leila Zerrougui. For more information, visit IDMC’s page on internally displaced children About IDMC The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) (www.internal-displacement.org) was established by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in 1998, upon the request of the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). Monitoring internal displacement caused by conflict, violence, human rights violations and natural disasters in over 50 countries, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is widely respected as the leading source of information and analysis on internal displacement throughout the world.