Vatican diplomat decries violence against children in war
August 04, 2016
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, decried violence against children in war during a UN Security Council discussion of the topic.
“Never in recent memory have so many children been subjected to such violent brutality: children used as soldiers, suicide bombers, sex slaves, and disposable intelligence-gatherers in the most dangerous military operations,” he said. “The deliberate destruction of their schools and hospitals in total disregard of international humanitarian law has become a strategy of war. These crimes must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”
The prelate concluded:
The obligation to put an end to barbaric acts against children caught in armed conflict is incumbent upon every one of us. In a particular way, it is incumbent upon this Council, as it calls on all States to put in place and implement stronger measures for the protection of children in armed conflict, and as it ensures that UN peacekeeping operations strictly adhere to all laws and measures in this regard.
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