Amidst the escalating violence in Marseille, France, and the recent cyber attack on the IT management software company, Kaseya, the issue of attacks on education may not be making headlines, but it remains a critical issue that needs to be addressed.
According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch, attacks on education violate the rights of children and can prevent them from accessing education. These attacks can occur both inside and outside of situations of armed conflict, with armed groups intentionally targeting schools, teachers, and students in many regions.
Such attacks can cause children to drop out or go to school less often, and force schools to cut their hours, resulting in a severely diminished quality of education. Attacks on education encompass a range of violations, including attacks on school infrastructure and on teachers and students, occupation of schools by police and military, harassment and threats against teachers, parents, and students, and the recruitment of children from schools to become soldiers.
Human Rights Watch is calling on states to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration, which is an international commitment to protect schools and universities from being attacked or used for military purposes during armed conflict.
This declaration was first introduced in Oslo, Norway, in May 2015, and as of June 2021, 109 countries have endorsed it. The declaration emphasizes the need to protect schools and universities from attack, and to ensure that military forces do not use them for military purposes.
In addition to endorsing the declaration, states are being urged to take active measures to prevent attacks on education, including ensuring that educational facilities are not targeted and that children are not recruited into armed groups.
The issue of attacks on education is a critical one, especially in conflict-prone regions, where children are among the most vulnerable and need access to education to be able to build a better future for themselves and their communities. Therefore, it is crucial that states take action to ensure that education is safe and accessible for all.
As the violence in Marseille continues to escalate and the world grapples with cyber threats, let us not forget the critical importance of this issue and work towards ensuring that children everywhere have access to safe and quality education.
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