Mrs. Amina Bouayach, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) participated remotely, on Tuesday 9 March 2021, in the Interactive Dialogue on Children and Armed Conflict, with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), organized as part of the 46th regular Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), which is taking place from 22 February to 23 March 2021.

On this occasion, Mrs. Bouayach called on the international community to take more dissuasive measures aiming at preventing children from being involved in conflicts and exploiting their vulnerabilities.

CNDH Chairperson underlined that the map of regional conflicts inherited from the Cold War and the remains of border demarcation pose renewed challenges to the protection of children and the fight against exploiting them in conflicts.
 
In this regard, Mrs. Bouayach confirmed that the role of the international community must not be limited to the protection of children in armed conflict, but must also be extended to peacebuilding as a transitional framework redefining priorities. Any omission of child protection in this process will necessarily lead to the outbreak of new conflicts, she added.

Conflicts, mainly in Africa, threaten human rights values, peace and international security. The international community should adopt a strategy to combat the exploitation of children and to advocate the liberation of traditional poles which provide conditions for triggering regional conflicts, including the ones not-legitimized by the International Human Rights Law and the International Humanitarian Law, stated CNDH Chairperson.