UN envoy rings alarm over attacks on schools

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, September 11, 2020
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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The UN secretary-general's special representative for children and armed conflict, Virginia Gamba, on Thursday rang the alarm over attacks on schools and education personnel.

Attacks on schools do not decrease over the years. On the contrary, there seems to be an emerging tactic of war, particularly in the Sahel, where schools are targeted precisely because they are schools, and even more if they cater to girls, she said.

In the last two years in Mali, teachers were threatened and killed; education facilities demolished and learning material burnt, leading to the closure of over 1,260 schools, even before COVID-19, she told a Security Council open debate on attacks against schools.

The last 12 months have seen a rise in attacks against schools and education personnel in Burkina Faso, including the burning of schools and the kidnapping of teachers, forcing 2,500 schools to shut down, depriving hundreds of thousands of children from education. In other parts of the world, such as Asia and Latin America, there is also an increase in attacks on education in indigenous communities, she said.

The present pandemic has made things much worse. Closed schools and crumbling economies generate push-and-pull factors that favor recruitment and use, sexual exploitation and child marriage. Lockdowns have restrained and diminished children's access to essential services. Empty schools may be an incentive for parties to conflict to loot or use schools for military purposes, she warned.

Cycles of violence against schools affect students, teachers, parents and communities alike. Parents are fearful of sending children to school; teachers leave schools due to insecurity; children are denied an education, which is the single most important tool they need to overcome despair and build a future, she said. "This must stop."

Gamba urged all parties to conflict to protect students and education personnel and to respect the civilian nature of school infrastructures. She also reminded governments that they have a duty to protect education, even at times of war and pandemics. Enditem

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