N lists RP among world’s worst child rights violators
By Michaela P. del Callar 05/24/2010 United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has expressed deep concern over grave human rights violations against Filipino children as both rebel and government forces have killed and recruited them during ongoing conflicts in the country. In his first annual report to the Security Council, the UN chief listed the Philippines as one of the world’s worst child rights violators in the last five years, along with Somalia, Congo, Myanmar, Colombia, Sudan and Uganda. The 51-page report released on May 21 stated that dozens of children were either killed in conflict situations or used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, communist New People’s Army, the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels, and the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group in combat operations. However, Ban noted that reports on grave violations against children in the Philippines “may only be indicative” as its investigators in the country face tremendous challenges, such as inadequate human resources capacity for the monitoring and reporting mechanism, as well as safety and security considerations in affected areas. A significant portion of southwestern Mindanao, particularly in Zamboanga, Sulu and Basilan provinces, continues to be highly restricted to UN staff travel, as armed skirmishes between militant groups and government forces intermittently erupt, a situation compounded by the tangible threat of abduction. Source: The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100524hed3.html |
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