Roundup: UN member states resolve to address child abduction as tactic of war

Top UN officials and member states resolved Thursday to do more to tackle child abduction as a tactic of war adopted by the Islamic State, also known as Da'esh, in Iraq and Syria and Boko Haram in Nigeria and its neighboring countries, when they took the floor at an open debate of the UN Security Council on children and armed conflict.

"The large number of abductions by Da'esh and Boko Haram have shocked us repeatedly in recent months," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council. "But we should also recognize that this practice is prevalent in many other situations."

"Abduction is now being used as a tactic to terrorize or target particular ethnic groups or religious communities, and children have been a particular focus," Ban said.

Mass abductions were documented alongside other violations in the secretary-general's annual report on children and armed conflict.

Citing the report's documentation of an increased trend of abduction as a feature of conflict, the Security Council on Thursday adopted a resolution expressing grave concern over the abduction of children and calling on all member states to hold perpetrators of abductions accountable.

Anifah Aman, the foreign minister of Malaysia that holds the rotating presidency of the 15-nation UN body for June, said the unanimous adoption of the resolution showed a unified stance in denouncing the abduction of children.

"The use of abduction by violent extremist groups as a terror tactic against local communities and minorities is an acute concern which cannot be easily addressed using available tools or mechanisms," Aman said.

"Strengthening the monitoring and reporting on abductions as well as identifying perpetrators will contribute to ensuring accountability," he said.

Meanwhile, Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said the increase in child abduction in armed conflict should draw great attention from the international community.

"The international community should fully utilize resources and means available now, adopt comprehensive measures and policies and work on multiple fronts to step up against the phenomena of child abduction so as to effectively stop those acts," Liu said.

Other issues discussed included attacks on schools, the use of schools by armed groups, and the recruitment of child soldiers.

Yoka Brandt, the deputy executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), spoke of recent escalating violence against children in South Sudan.

"In South Sudan, the violence against children has reached a new level of brutality," Brandt said. "As many as 129 children from Unity State were killed in May -- in unspeakably violent ways. And an estimated 13,000 children are being forced to fight in armed groups on both sides of the conflict."

A long list of member states made statements during the debate which continued well into Thursday afternoon.

A small number of countries expressed concerns over the report' s methodology and contents, including Israel's UN Ambassador Ron Prosor who said the report "disproportionately focuses on Israel," dedicating twice as much space to Israel as to Syria.

For his part, the French permanent representative to the United Nations, Francois Delattre, said it was imperative that the secretary-general's report, including the annex, remains impartial and uses robust methodology.

Ban expressed regret that there had been more disagreement and controversy over the contents of the report than usual. "I regret that the contents of the annual report have been the subject of more controversy and discussions than usual, to the extent of threatening its integrity," he said.

"A healthy debate where member states put forward their views and provide information is appropriate," Ban said. "But national interests should not cloud the objective at stake, which is protecting children." Endite