30th October, 2014
Nearly nine million children have missed out on their education because of the world’s worst humanitarian crises this year, according to a new report from Save the Children.
Released this week, the report No Child Left Behind: Barriers to Education in the Asia Pacific region, identified conflict, disaster and displacement as the three major barriers which kept 8.7 million children out of school this year with conflict. Of these barriers, conflict accounted for the "lion’s share" with a child living in a conflict-affected developing country three times more likely to be out of school than a child in another developing country.
"From attacks on schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan to widespread destruction in typhoon-hit Philippines, children are missing out not just on days of school but often weeks and even months," said Save the Children CEO Paul Ronalds. "The combined impact of this loss could be felt for year to come and have devastating consequences for children’s development and the future prosperity of their countries."
Among the other crises identified as impacting children’s ability to go to school were everything from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa through to the recent conflict in Israel and Gaza.
The report found that children living in conflict zones often have their education curtailed as schools are attacked with gunfire, bombs and shelling and noted that while there are international laws aimed at protecting schools, those used for military purposes during conflict can become a legitimate target.
Save the Children have called on the Australian Government – particularly in its role as president of the UN Security Council – to "champion" a new initiative known as the Lucens Guidelines, developed to assist those planning and executing military operations to make appropriate decisions on the use and targeting of schools and so help reduce the risk to schoolchildren caught up in conflict.
The organisation are launching a petition for Australia to join the 29 countries which have publicly indicated their support for the guidelines.
– DAVID ADAMS
