Lords Grand Committee
Thursday 12 September 2024
Short debate: Assessment made of the impact of international conflict on children, and the recommendations proposed by Save the Children in its report published in December 2023
With 460 Million Children Living In Conflict Zones – and violations against children up 21% on last year, House of Lords had a short debate today about their plight.
“I am grateful to Baroness Anelay of St John for initiating important and timely debate. Tomorrow we will debate Sudan – a country she mentioned- where 11 million people are displaced, 19 million children are out of education, and famine is sweeping across the country.
These children are part of a growing trend to target children during conflict and atrocity crimes – whether to kill, injure, abduct, or abuse them – or to turn them into child soldiers – imposing unimaginable suffering to the lives of countless children.
International law is clear that such targeting of children is a crime. However, too often, a low level response and impunity sends a different message.
Although I will focus my remarks on children abducted during Russia’s war on Ukraine, I would like an update on both the plight of over 2,600 missing Yazidi women and children – some of whose families I met during a visit to Northern Iraq – and the plight of Leah Sharibu the 14 year-old Nigerian girl abducted by Boko Haram, raped, abducted forcibly converted and still held by Jihadists and whose case I have repeatedly raised since her abduction six years ago.
Russia’s crimes in Ukraine against children are from the same stable, and are having a devastating impact. Some have died, others injured as Putin’s regime has targeted schools, children’s hospitals and family homes: war crimes leading to the displacement of millions of children. In addition, thousands of children have been abducted and forcibly exiled to Russia and subjected to expedited adoptions.
This had its origins in Crimea when Russia perversely called their trains used to abduct and transport the abducted children trains of hope.
We know from the testimonies of rescued children that while in Russia, they were subjected to indoctrination – told to become Russian and see their Ukrainian identity destroyed.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber issued warrants of arrest for Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and Ms Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights citing their responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, in prejudice of Ukrainian children.
On 20 August, Save Ukraine and Bring Kids Back UA helped 12 more Ukrainian children and their families leave the temporary occupation. The number of Ukrainian children who returned from Russia and the temporarily occupied territories reached 466. However, many more remain in Russia and it must be our priority to get them out and reunite them with their families.
I hope that today the Minister will tell us what part we are playing to support the return of children and the work of the ICC in bringing those responsible to justice.
