Topic: Children and Armed Conflict
Country: Poland
Delegate Name: Katelyn Coghlan
School: Saline High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Poland position papers GLIMUN 2009 committees
Poland shares views on children in armed conflict, child trafficking, and teenage prostitution, with many of their European neighbors. Poland believes that children’s rights should not be violated, but they put a large emphasis on the role and rights of the family.
The issue of children in armed conflict hasn’t been relevant in Poland, and Poland has never taken place in a conflict where children were fighting. Poland’s government has put a huge emphasis on family rights, and the family’s role in protecting their child. The belief is that the issues with children, such as alcoholism, illegal drugs, teenage prostitution, ect; is because of the roles and hardships within the family.
Irena Kowalska stated, “that the children's rights listed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child should be implemented with respect for parental authority and in accordance with Polish customs and traditions which described people's places inside and outside the family” and that "today the family was affected by widespread and fast social and cultural changes. Many parents met the needs of contemporary life, however a difficult economic situation of a family often led to the disintegration of natural family bonds, which in turn resulted in pathological social phenomena such as alcoholism, drug addiction, teenager prostitution and child trafficking. The above phenomena constituted a violation of the children's right to grow in love and safety". Poland believes that the issue with children and armed conflict, can be traced back to issues within the family, and the violation of family rights.
Poland puts a strong emphasis on the role of the family in children’s rights. In general, Poland remains open to most suggestions with creating an international document on protecting family’s rights.
