Schools under attack from bombs, threats and military occupation

A school should be a safe place where children can learn, play and express themselves in a stress-free environment.

But in too many countries around the world, education is聽under attack – from threats, violence, bombs and the military use of schools.

The Safe Schools Declaration was launched in 2015 as an聽international commitment of support for the protection of students, teachers and their schools during armed conflict.聽It has now been signed by 61 countries – the latest to join were Armenia and Malta, which currently holds the European Union presidency.

聽国产视频淏y signing on to the Safe Schools Declaration, Malta is joining 60 other states in making a clear commitment to better protect education in war-time,国产视频� said Diya Nijhowne, director of the聽Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack听(骋颁笔贰础).

国产视频淕rowing support for the Safe Schools Declaration reflects increasing global concern about the targeting of schools, universities, students, and teachers during armed conflict and the imperative to end these attacks.国产视频�

Tomorrow the Second International Safe Schools Conference begins in Argentina – bringing together more than 60 countries to discuss the declaration and how best to take it forward.聽Ahead of the conference, new research has been published on several countries where schools are under attack

Yemen

As the conflict enters its third year, education has been severely disrupted.

Up to 1600 schools can no longer be used because they are destroyed, damaged, being used to host displaced families or occupied by military groups. That has put聽350,000 children out of school – taking the total deprived of聽education to two million.

Attacks on schools have risen in a year from 50 to 212, according to a report called聽Falling Through the Cracks: the Children of Yemen聽released yesterday聽by the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF.聽

The number of children recruited in the fighting also increased聽to almost聽1580聽from 850 this time last year.

国产视频淭he war in Yemen continues to claim children国产视频檚 lives and their future,国产视频� said Meritxell Rela帽o, UNICEF Representative in Yemen. 国产视频淩elentless fighting and destruction has scarred children for life.国产视频�

“The students are traumatised,” said Abdullah al-Ezzi, a teacher at Al-Hussein school in Sanaa. “They get scared when warplanes fly over their neighbourhoods. They are scared of air strikes.”聽

Ahead of the safe schools conference in Buenos Aries, the聽charity Save the Children said world leaders must take decisive action to safeguard children and their education from attacks.

国产视频淓very day, our staff are seeing children bear the brunt of war and violence across the world,”聽said Patricia Erb, President and CEO of Save the Children in Canada.

“Far too many children are being prevented from accessing education or are being killed, brutalised or maimed while they study or try and go to school.国产视频澛�

Yemen has not聽signed the Safe Schools Declaration.

Pakistan

About 25 million children are out of school – and聽militant violence has disrupted the education of hundreds of thousands of children, particularly girls.

A report published today by Human Rights Watch says attacks by the Taliban and other groups are having a devastating effect on schooling.

It says Pakistan – which聽has not signed the Safe Schools Declaration – needs a policy to protect students, especially girls, from attack. It should also stop聽security forces from using schools as bases or for other military purposes.聽

There were 867 attacks on educational institutions in Pakistan from 2007 to 2015, according to聽the Global Terrorism Database maintained by researchers at the University of Maryland.

国产视频淭he Taliban and other militants have repeatedly committed horrific attacks on Pakistani schools, depriving students of their lives as well as their educations,国产视频� said Bede Sheppard, child rights deputy director at Human Rights Watch.聽

国产视频淭hese audacious attacks often occur because, too often, authorities have protected militants or failed to properly prosecute them, and this needs to change.国产视频澛�

The report –聽Dreams Turned into Nightmares: Attacks on Students, Teachers, and Schools in Pakistan聽–聽聽is based on interviews with teachers, students, parents聽and school administrators in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Syria

More than 4000 schools have been destroyed, damaged or taken over by armed groups since the war began six years ago.聽

Last week a聽school near Raqqa that was being used to shelter聽families was bombed and at least 30 people were killed. Three students from a Save the Children partner-supported school were killed in a separate attack in Idlib.

Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director, said: “Children are being deprived of their basic right to life. They are being denied their right to an education.

“Those events remind us once again that there is no safe place for children in Syria. Children are under attack.

Central African Republic

Armed groups are聽preventing children from getting an education by occupying, looting聽and damaging school buildings.

Militants聽and even soldiers from the United Nations peacekeeping mission, known as MINUSCA聽have used school buildings as bases or barracks, or based their forces near school grounds.聽

The government and the peacekeeping mission should increase protection for students and schools in areas of the country affected by armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said in聽a report released on March 23.

国产视频淐hildren have lost years of education in many parts of the Central African Republic because armed groups have failed to treat schools as places of learning and sanctuary for children,国产视频� said Lewis Mudge, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch and co-author of the report.聽

国产视频淭he government and the UN can do more to ensure that fighters stay away from classrooms聽and that children can safely go to school.国产视频�

The report –聽No Class: When Armed Groups Use Schools in the Central African Republic聽– gives many examples, including one where the Seleka rebel group聽occupied a primary聽school at聽Ngadja in the Ouaka province.

A student there said: “The Seleka received new guns on January 13 (2017)聽and they were shooting them. We were in class when they started shooting behind the school.聽

“We wanted to run聽but the teachers told us it was safer to stay down in the class room. I am scared to come to school. I am scared the Seleka will attack me.”

The CAR has signed the Safe Schools Declaration.

Sudan

In the聽Darfur region聽alone,聽46 attacks on schools were聽documented from 2013 to 2016.聽Schools were totally or聽partially destroyed and looted in aerial bombardment and during armed clashes.

Schools were also used as military bases in several areas聽by the state’s聽armed forces, according to a聽report published on March 24 by the UN Secretary-General.

It also found hundreds of children had been recruited by armed groups, including government forces.

“Boys and girls continued to be victims of grave violations committed by all parties to the conflict, including killing and maiming, sexual violence and attacks on schools and hospitals,国产视频� said聽Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.聽

Sudan聽has signed the Safe Schools Declaration.