Civilians bear the brunt of the suffering in war. Of the big number of war victims, the most often neglected are children.
Orphans throughout the world face many challenges: Malnutrition, starvation, disease, and decreased social attention. As the most vulnerable population on planet Earth, they have no one to protect them and are most likely to suffer from hunger, disease, and many other problems.
In recent decades, the proportion of civilian casualties in armed conflicts has increased dramatically and is now estimated at more than 90 per cent. About half of the victims are children.
An estimated 20 million children have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict and human rights violations and are living as refugees in neighbouring countries or are internally displaced within their own national borders.
More than 2 million children have died as a direct result of armed conflict over the last decade.
More than three times that number, at least 6 million children, have been permanently disabled or seriously injured.
More than 1 million have been orphaned or separated from their families.
Between 8,000 and 10,000 children are killed or maimed by landmines every year.
An estimated 300,000 child soldiers – boys and girls under the age of 18 – are involved in more than 30 conflicts worldwide. Child soldiers are used as combatants, messengers, porters, cooks and to provide sexual services. Some are forcibly recruited or abducted, others are driven to join by poverty, abuse and discrimination, or to seek revenge for violence enacted against themselves and their families.
Sadly, however, they rarely receive the time, attention, and love for optimal social and personal development. Research reveals that children growing up in an orphanage experience emotional, social, and physical handicaps. Without a doubt, the best place for a child to grow up is in a stable family with a loving father and mother.
la date du 1er décembre 1988 comme Journée mondiale du sida, l’Assemblée a souligné l’importance de cette manifestation (résolution 43/15). Aujourd’hui, plus de 41 millions de personnes sont séropositives et sidéennes. La journée mondiale de lutte contre le SIDA n’est pas la seule occasion de revenir sur ce dossier brûlant, mais en insistant sur le fait que nous devons être tous ensemble contre le SIDA, elle a toute sa place dans le calendrier des journées internationales.
I heard someone say : ‘God does not know how to count’. In any case, his way of counting is not ours. The Psalmist had understood this when he wrote: “A thousand years in your sight are like a day” (Ps.90:4) . And through the prophet Isaiah, God had told us already: “My thoughts are not your thought, my ways not your ways” (Is.55:8).
2016 Theme: Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Education
« Nelson Mandela’s extraordinary compassion after 27 years in prison showed that human rights and equality are stronger than discrimination and hate. » – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
the object of erroneous beliefs and myths influenced by superstition, which foster their marginalization and social exclusion. This leads to various forms of stigma and discrimination.
On estime que 300 000 enfants soldats – des garçons et des filles de moins de 18 ans – sont mêlés à plus de 30 conflits dans le monde. Ils sont utilisés comme combattants, coursiers, porteurs ou cuisiniers, et pour fournir des services sexuels. Certains sont recrutés de force ou enlevés, d’autres s’enrôlent pour fuir la pauvreté, la maltraitance et la discrimination, ou pour se venger des auteurs d’actes de violence commis à leur encontre ou contre leur famille.