India calls for more coordinated approach in implementing child protection and counter terrorism agendas

United Nations: Voicing concern over an increasing number of children being recruited by the terror groups for terrorism-related activities, India on Monday called for a more coordinated approach in implementing the child protection and counter terrorism agendas.

“We are witnessing a dangerous and worrying trend in global terrorism and that is an increase in the number of children that are being recruited and involved in terrorism-related activities,” Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said during an open debate on Children and Armed Conflict in the UN Security Council.

Noting that the terror groups take advantage of the fact that children are the most susceptible to manipulation, he said that school closures due to the pandemic have provided an even greater opportunity to these terrorist groups to target children, including through online avenues, for radicalisation and indoctrination in violent extremist ideologies.

“We believe that there is a need for a more coordinated approach in implementing the child protection and counter terrorism agendas. States need to demonstrate greater political will to hold the perpetrators of terrorism and their sponsors to account, and to fulfill the Council’s child protection obligations,” Shringla said while addressing the meeting via video link.

“We also call for ending impunity for all actors responsible for inciting and perpetrating grave violations against children. There must be greater accountability and sincere efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice by governments from whose territory such entities operate,” he added.

He said that close cooperation between the UN and its member states concerned is critical for developing an effective and sustainable policy for repatriation and reintegration of children affected by armed conflict.

“States should adopt an inclusive approach to provide protection to child victims during the rehabilitation and reintegration process in post-conflict situations,” he added.

He reiterated India’s firm commitment to supporting the UN in its endeavours to protect children in situations of armed conflict.