Ethiopia / South Sudan: Bring back the missing abducted
children from the Gambella region
GENEVA (14 October 2016) – Six months after the abduction
of 159 children from the Gambella region of Ethiopia, 68 remain unaccounted
for, two UN human rights experts today pressed Ethiopian and South Sudanese
authorities to urgently resume joint efforts to ensure the return of the
remaining missing children.
On the 15 April 2016, armed men from the Murle ethnic
group reportedly attacked 13 Nuer villages in the Jikaw and Lare districts,
Gambella region, Ethiopia. The attack reportedly led to 208 people being killed
and 159 children abducted. Another 80 people were reportedly wounded and over
2,000 cattle stolen. In the first two months after the attack, 91 children were
rescued through the concerted efforts of Ethiopian and South Sudanese
authorities. However, since then, rescue operations have reportedly stopped.
The UN experts on the sale of children and on
extrajudicial and summary executions expressed deep concern that as time goes
by, “it will become increasingly difficult for these children to be found and
released. Consequently, authorities in both countries are urged to redouble
efforts to find and release the missing children as a matter of priority. These
past six months have been absolutely intolerable for these children and for
their families.”
The experts also warned that the 68 children, who are all
under the age of 13, are at grave risk of being sold and exploited by their
captors. Twenty-six children from the Anywa ethnic minority who were abducted
in previous raids earlier this year are also still unaccounted for.
“The abduction and ensuing sale and exploitation of
children are abhorrent violations of the rights of the child,” said the UN
Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio. “What is
even more worrying is that there appears to be a growing pattern of armed
groups targeting civilians, and in particular children, with a complete
disregard for international human rights law and international humanitarian
law, and in complete impunity.”
The UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions, Agnes
Callamard, stressed that “Ethiopian and South Sudanese authorities must take
concrete steps to break the cycle of violence and prevent the recurrence of
such heinous attacks. This requires working with the targeted communities to
identify and implement all necessary prevention and precautionary measures to
protect the children and their communities against future raids, killings and
abductions. Prevention also demands thorough investigations of the killings,
attacks and abductions committed last April with the view of determining responsibilities
and holding perpetrators to account.”
The attacks left a reported total of 662 children without
one or both parents. Seventeen such children are believed to be part of the 91
rescued children, and they have been placed in alternative care. These orphaned
children are now extremely vulnerable and require special protection and
assistance, the experts said, to ensure their rights to care, recovery and
development.
“We salute the aid that has been provided so far to the
91 freed children, but urge the Ethiopian authorities to ensure that all
precautions are taken to return these children to their parents, extended
families and communities, with the best interest of the child as a guiding
principle,” underlined the experts. “The identification and registration of
returned children is a complex process which requires due diligence and proper
corroboration to ensure that no mistakes are committed in the reunifications,
by guaranteeing among others the right to be heard of these children.”
“The future of children in the Gambella region will be
forever compromised if they cannot grow in a peaceful and stable environment,”
the experts warned, calling on the Government to ensure long-term strategies
are in place for these communities to rebuild themselves. This entails the
provision of financial support and assistance in kind as well as addressing the
root causes of these recurring attacks.
The two UN human rights experts urged the international
community to assist both governments in their search for the 68 children as
well as in the delivery of all the necessary support to the victims of these
murderous attacks.
ENDS
The Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, was appointed by
the Human Rights Council as Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography in May 2014. As a Special Rapporteur, she is
independent from any government or organisation and serves in her individual
capacity. To learn more, visit:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Children/Pages/ChildrenIndex.aspx
The Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or
arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, has a distinguished career in human
rights and humanitarian work globally. She is the Director of Columbia Global
Freedom of Expression at Columbia University and has previously worked with
Article 19 and Amnesty International. Ms. Callamard has advised multilateral
organizations and governments around the world, has led human rights investigations
in more than 30 countries, and has published extensively on human rights and
related fields. To learn more, visit:
The United Nations human rights experts are part of what
it is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special
Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights, is
the general name of the independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of
the Human Rights Council that address either specific country situations or
thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on
a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their
work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in
their individual capacity. To learn more, visit:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx
UN Human Rights, Country Page – Ethiopia:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/ETIndex.aspx
UN Human Rights, Country Page – South Sudan:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/SSIndex.aspx
For further information and media requests, please
contact Mr. Dorian Hall (+41 22 917 96 31) or write to
srsaleofchildren@ohchr.org
For your news websites and social media:
Multimedia
content & key messages relating to our news releases are available on UN
Human Rights social media channels, listed below. Please tag us using the
proper handles:
Twitter: @UNHumanRights
Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
Instagram: unitednationshumanrights
Google+: unitednationshumanrights
Youtube: unohchr
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar