UNICEF Rejects All Forms Of Violence Against Children In Gaza, Lebanon

11/20/2024 6:04:38 AM

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Interview by Iman Kheriji
GENEVA, Nov 20 (KUNA) -- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Spokesperson James Elder reaffirmed the organization's commitment to protecting children from violence, exploitation and abuse, expressing UNICEF's strong rejection of all forms of violence against children in Gaza and Lebanon.
In an exclusive interview with KUNA on the occasion of World Children's Day, celebrated annually on November 20, Elder said that what children are enduring in Gaza and Lebanon seems to have been "normalized" by the world, reflecting a profoundly dark moment in human history.
Elder criticized the international community for failing in its responsibility to address these crises, stressing that the ongoing massacres of children in conflict zones must never be allowed to continue.
The UNICEF spokesperson described Gaza's situation as "hell on earth" if a ceasefire is not implemented, saying that the unprecedented level of brutality against children there has never been witnessed before.
He explained that the crisis is worsening due to targeting children, destroying health systems and putting restrictions on humanitarian aid and denying injured children from medical evacuation.
Highlighting the critical role of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Elder warned that restricting its operations would result in the loss of more innocent lives especially children.
He condemned the adoption of Isreali occupation law that allows the detention of children under the age of 14, saying that Israeli occupation signed to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and is legally obligated to protect children and respect their rights.
Children cannot be detained without charge and changing the legal age is unacceptable, noted Elder, calling for urgent international intervention.
Elder noted significant similarities between the suffering of children in Gaza and Lebanon particularly the devastating psychological impact and lack of effective international response.
In recent weeks, an average of three children a day have been killed in Lebanon, while hundreds of thousands of children have been displaced by escalating military action and attacks on medical facilities and vital infrastructure, he explained.
Elder praised UNICEF and other humanitarian agencies for their continued work in conflict zones such as Gaza Lebanon Afghanistan and eastern Ukraine made possible by their neutrality.
World Children's Day, which falls annually on 20 November, marks the anniversary of the UN General Assembly's adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. (end)
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