Kathmandu: The International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is being observed today. The United Nations General Assembly initiated this commemoration during a special emergency session on Palestine on August 19, 1982, in response to the violence against Palestinian and Lebanese children resulting from Israel’s attack.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the day aims to address the physical, mental, and emotional suffering experienced by children globally and to ensure their protection. The United Nations has demonstrated a commitment to safeguarding the rights of children in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Currently, a significant number of children worldwide are impacted by conflict, extremist violence, exploitation, and impunity. The Sustainable Development Agenda for 2030, which was adopted in 2015, outlines specific goals for the protection of children, including a plan under Goal 16.2 to end all forms of violence and to take decisive action against exploitation, neglect, and abuse.
The United Nations has emphasized that ending and preventing severe violations against children is fundamental to the mandate on children and armed conflict. The most effective method for protecting children from hostilities is to eliminate the factors that lead to their involvement in armed conflict.