International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

Occupying the most vulnerable stance besides women and the elderly, children in conflict-ridden zones possess limited or rather no choices, faced with a constant threat of being rendered orphans or homeless or displaced. Unfortunately, contemporary times happen to be coloured by unprecedented violence, exploitation and abuse, of which children happen to be the hardest hit victims, and for whom International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is annually observed.

International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression  |  Source: Pinterest

Initiated by the United Nations in 1982 and annually observed on June 4, the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is meant to take cognisance of the violence and abuse to which children of conflict-ridden zones are exposed to. Observed to acknowledge the impact of war on minors in all its manifestations including physical, sexual, emotional and psychological, the day is meant to condemn the exploitation of children in the mayhem of a conflict or disaster.

The history of observance of this day goes back to August 19, 1982, when the UN General Assembly in an emergency special session convened for the cause of Palestine decided that June 4 every year shall be commemorated as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression. Originally emphasising on the atrocities faced by the children in the 1982 war of Lebanon, the day also acknowledged the suffering of Palestinian children in the rest of the Middle East.

However, in light of continuing atrocities against children, the day also emphasises on the United Nation’s pledge to protect children worldwide and uphold child rights. Condemning violence and abuse, the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression also commemorates the UN’s efforts to rid the world of the menace of exploitation, abuse and trafficking of children, a goal it aims to achieve by 2030 in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16. Standing for sustainable development, Goal 16 would cease to be achieved in the absence of the existence of peaceful and inclusive societies.

As armed conflicts in the past have suggested, children are left mentally scarred and physically violated, owing to them being denied humanitarian access. Contemporary attacks on schools, furthermore, provide evidence of violence wherein innocent children become prime targets of petty propaganda. Besides being prone to abductions, killings, and sexual violations, children are also made to forcefully fight in wars as a result of succumbing to manipulation and false promises of short-term gains.

Moreover, children also face the brunt of indirect abuse in the form of malnutrition and disease owing to the breakdown of societal structures during and in the aftermath of the crisis. Africa followed by the Middle East notes the highest number of casualties against children owing to them living in high-intensity conflict zones. According to the UN, the humanitarian crisis in Syria has coerced 2.5 million children into leaving the country with another 2.6 million being displaced within the country, as observed by Human Rights Watch.

The worst manifestation of conflict can be observed in the physical and psychological health of the children inhabiting war zones. It is crucial to protect the rights of children, who owing to their vulnerability end up being intensely affected. The International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, is therefore, observed to secure the rights of children and acknowledge the liminal position children locate themselves in, amidst a crisis marked by annihilating possibilities.