Bangui: An estimated 738,000 people, half of whom are children, are now internally displaced across the Central African Republic (CAR) as a result of ongoing violence and insecurity, UNICEF has stated.
According to the United Nations (UN) Agency, this is the highest level of child displacement in the country since 2014.
"We are extremely concerned about the fate of the thousands of children who, after seeing their lives turned upside down by conflict and violence, may now experience the additional trauma of being forced to join and live among armed actors, to engage in combat, putting both themselves and the lives of others at extreme risk," said UNICEF Representative in CAR, Fran Equiza.
"These frightening events can leave an indelible mark on children's and families’ lives and are an unacceptable violation of their fundamental rights," Equiza added.
Recruitment and use of children by armed forces and groups remains the most frequent grave child rights’ violation in CAR; accounting for 584 out of a total of 792 cases of confirmed grave violations documented in 2020.
UNICEF has received unverified reports indicating that child recruitment and use has continued over the first four months of 2021.
Violence and insecurity have prevented the verification of some reported violations.
"UNICEF will continue to be on the frontlines of the response, working to protect children from grave rights violations, but we cannot do this alone," added Equiza.
"To keep children out of harm’s way and help them build the future they deserve, we need the collaboration of all. We renew our call to all parties to the conflict and groups to facilitate the immediate release of all children in their ranks and to protect every civilian, especially children and women from violence, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law," Equiza stated.
Cek Berita dan Artikel yang lain di Google News
FOLLOW US
Ikuti media sosial medcom.id dan dapatkan berbagai keuntungan
