Topic: Children and Armed Conflict
Country: South Africa
Delegate Name: Madeline Kayes
School: Cranbrook Kingswood
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All South Africa position papers GLIMUN 2009 committees
Children and armed conflict is an international issue affecting millions of children around the world. Since the establishment of South Africa as its own sovereign independent nation, South Africa hasn’t faced conflict against other countries. However, South Africa sees children rights as crucial issue of human rights. A large section of South Africa’s constitution is devoted to establishing the rights of children within its borders. Although South Africa’s constitution does not explicitly discuss children and armed conflict, it does state children have the right to “be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation”, This includes children not being part of conflicts such as war. The delegation from South Africa believes that children’s rights should be an issue taken very seriously and handled very delicately in the United Nations. Children are unable to defend their own rights, so as adults we have a moral and legal responsibility to protect them.
South Africa appreciates the Security Council’s 1882 Resolution condemning countries that had children dying due to armed conflict. However, South Africa believes that the continued support of the Security Council and United Nations as a whole is necessary to eliminate children presence in armed conflict. The delegation from South Africa calls upon other countries to join us in the fight against children and armed conflict. We believe that this committee should clarify parts of the 1882 Resolution by including ways in which member states can fight the effects of children due to armed conflict. As seen in the fact that children have still been killed in large numbers, even after this resolution was passed, the we, the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian have an obligation to pave new paths to create universal peace for and freedom from violence for children.
