Panama at UN: Minors in
Armed Conflicts
Panamanian Foreign
Minister Samuel Lewis
expressed his concern
for the increasing use
of refugees fields to
recruit children as
soldiers.
"This is a problematic
that is added to the
difficulties those
children face daily,"
Lewis expressed, who led
this Tuesday an opened
debate at UN Security
Council on children and
armed conflicts.
Panamanian diplomat,
whose country chairs
this month Council
activities, stressed
that minors sheltered or
displaced by armed
conflicts are more
vulnerable to neglect,
undernourishment, lack
of education and
discrimination.
"This difficult
condition causes a
psychological impact
that is favorable to
trigger violent
behaviors, turning them
easier targets for the
recruitment from the
parts in conflict", he
explained.
During his intervention
before UN high organism
representing Panama,
Foreign Minister
described as worrying
the proliferation of
intentional and
systematic attacks
against the school
facilities and against
teachers.
He also accentuated his
concern to the tendency
to use sexual violence
as war arm and the
excessive use of force
against children.
On this regard, he
encouraged International
Penal Court to continue
guarding children rights
in its examination of
cases of allegedly war
crimes.
In addition, he
pronounced in favor of a
close coordination
between the efforts of
UN Security Council and
UN General Assembly so
that UN can respond more
effectively to the
situation of the
children in armed
conflicts. |
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