* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
An average of four schools or hospitals are attacked or occupied by armed forces and groups every day, according to Unicef analysis released ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit. Last month we heard that two schools that the UK had refurbished in Helmand Province in Afghanistan are being used as bases for the Afghan army. One of these was a functioning school attended by children, who were forced to share their school building with soldiers.
Why does this matter? Because it puts children’s security and education at risk. When armed groups, like the Taliban in Afghanistan, see that a school building is being used by their enemy, it increases the risk that they will attack the school. When schools are used for military purposes they can become battlegrounds, putting children’s lives in danger and risking destruction of their schools and therefore their chances of an education.
Even if children are able to continue attending their school that is partially occupied by an army or armed group, they are exposed to increased levels of violence. Children should never have to fear that by going to school they will be attacked, bombed, recruited as child soldiers, radicalised, or exploited sexually. Yet the military use of schools happens in the majority of conflict-affected countries and is undertaken by both state armed forces and non-state armed groups. Over the past decade, schools and universities have been used for military purposes in at least 26 countries.
The UK can be proud of its leadership on education in emergencies. Britain has been a driving force in pushing for a new initiative aimed at ensuring that all children living through humanitarian crises get access to education and is a leading donor providing support to children who survive some of the world’s worst conflicts and natural disasters. But the UK’s leadership on education in emergencies should be coupled with leadership on protecting schools from attacks. If not, investment in schools in conflict settings could be ineffective. Children in conflict settings need education, in safe schools that are not used by armed forces or groups.
Yet – unlike over 50 countries - the UK has not signed up to the Safe Schools Declaration, which sets out a political commitment by states to protect education from attack, including by endorsing and committing to use the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict. These Guidelines are aimed at changing military mind-sets and behaviour concerning schools. They are a set of simple, clear and practical actions that can help all parties to conflict exercise restraint concerning the military use of educational facilities, or at least mitigate the impact the practice can have on students’ safety and education when it does occur. The Guidelines do not change the law; in fact, their aim is to strengthen compliance with International Humanitarian Law.
Unicef is charged with monitoring and reporting on grave violations against children globally, and we have staff around the world who verify attacks on schools. In Syria, one in four schools now cannot be used because they have been damaged, destroyed, or are being used for military purposes or to shelter displaced families. Across Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, the total reaches more than 8,850 schools that can no longer be used. Military use and occupation of schools is a major cause of putting schools out of use and making them unsafe places for their pupils. The UK should take leadership on protecting children’s education from attack, by signing up to the Safe Schools Declaration.
Unicef UK is urging the UK Government to sign up to the Safe Schools Declaration, sending a clear message to the world that schools must not be attacked or occupied for military purposes.
Ask your MP to keep schools safe during conflict http://ow.ly/4nmjC6
