Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud has called for decisive international action to protect children in conflict zones.
She issued the call on Wednesday during her address at the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict.
Dr Persaud decried the continued violation of children’s rights in war-torn regions, urging member states to move beyond condemnation and take tangible steps to safeguard the rights and lives of children worldwide.
“Children do not start wars, and they should never be made to suffer their horrific consequences. Ultimately, their best protection is peace,” she declared.
Dr Persaud thanked Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict, and UNICEF’s Director of Child Protection, Sheema Sen Gupta, for their briefings. She also praised child briefer Sila for courageously sharing her story of survival and resilience.
Citing the 25 per cent increase in grave violations against children documented in the Secretary-General’s 2024 report, Dr Persaud called on the Security Council to act swiftly to halt the suffering of the nearly half a billion children living in conflict areas. She lamented that places once considered safe havens—homes, schools, and hospitals—are now being destroyed, with international humanitarian law repeatedly ignored.
The minister reaffirmed Guyana’s unwavering commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its Optional Protocol, and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. She condemned the denial of humanitarian aid and the targeting of children by government forces in some conflicts, calling it a breakdown of the international protections that should shield the most vulnerable.
She emphasised that “Inaction by the international community and impunity for perpetrators are emboldening greater violations. We must be consistent in condemning all violations and abuses of children.”
Touching on some of the worst-affected regions, Dr Persaud pointed to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Syria, where explosive weapons and mines have killed, maimed, and permanently disabled thousands of children. She called on UN member states to ratify and implement the Mine Ban Treaty and increase funding for clearance, risk education, and victim assistance.
Dr Persaud also denounced the growing use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, highlighting a 35 per cent increase in verified cases of rape and gang rape of children in 2024. She stressed the urgent need for accountability, sanctions, and justice, including the listing of perpetrators and prosecution under international law.
The minister urged the Security Council to fully utilise its powers to uphold child protection mandates, integrate child welfare into peacekeeping and political missions, and ensure that UN funding cuts do not jeopardise child protection programmes.
“The umbrella that international law should provide to children is being dismantled daily,” she said. “We must do better—for them and for the future of humanity.”
