Mali: Limited Progress for Children, Grave Violations Remain High While Child Protection Capacities Decrease

Children in Mali experienced high levels of violence and grave violations perpetrated by all parties involved in the conflict all the while a serious gap in child protection capacities in the country was experienced following the termination of MINUSMA. “The withdrawal of dedicated MINUSMA child protection staff had serious repercussions for children across Mali but also for the direct engagement of the United Nations with parties to conflict which is key to ending and preventing grave violations against children” underlined the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Virginia Gamba.

The fifth report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Mali shows that 2,091 grave violations against 1,782 children were verified between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2024, including some children who were victims of multiple violations.

With 1,052 children affected, the recruitment and use of children remained the most prevalent grave violation, followed by killing and maiming, and abduction of children. All three violations increased compared to the previous reporting period. Child recruitment was often driven by economic hardships, persistent food insecurity and malnutrition, as well as the impact of climate change.

“I call on all parties to immediately release all children from their ranks and continue to engage with the United Nations to sign and implement action plans to end and prevent grave violations against children,” said the Special Representative.

A total of 530 children were killed and maimed and most child casualties resulted from explosive devices or firearms. The United Nations collaborated with the transitional Government to address child casualties linked to mines and explosive devices through risk education and awareness raising on the dangers of explosive hazards.

48 children, all girls aged between 12 and 17, were subjected to sexual violence but the actual number is likely to be higher as several factors such as a fear of reprisal and stigmatization associated with sexual violence often prevent victims from denouncing. The abduction of 240 children was verified, a 37% increase compared to the previous period mainly due to growing insecurity and the intensification of military activities of armed groups. Furthermore, humanitarian access in northern and central Mali remained challenging due to an increase in armed groups activities; 150 incidents of denial of humanitarian access were verified during the reporting period.

While attacks on schools and hospitals decreased during the reporting period, 1,788 schools were closed due to insecurity, threats and attacks from armed groups, preventing some 536,400 children from accessing education, making them more vulnerable to grave

violations.

Taking Additional Steps to Protect the Children of Mali

Some progress was observed including the revision by the transitional Government of the draft national plan to prevent grave violations against children and the Special Representative calls on the transitional authorities to expedite its approval. She further calls upon the transitional Government to finalize the revision of the draft child protection law, criminalizing the recruitment and use of all children, including those between the ages of 15 and 17.

Some 939 children (772 boys, 167 girls) were released from armed forces and groups and provided with adequate care services during the reporting period. The Special Representative calls on the international community to continue to support politically, technically, and financially the release and reintegration of children from armed forces and groups as it remains fundamental to the building of peaceful society.

Further progress took place in the implementation of action plans adopted respectively by CMA and Platform, including the adoption of road maps to accelerate the implementation of each action plan.

“The children of Mali deserve a real chance to thrive in a peaceful future that brings them real opportunities to dream and grow free of fear. I call on the transitional Government to pursue its efforts to promote accountability so that all children victims of grave violations have access to justice and reparation and are provided with comprehensive, age-appropriate, and gender-sensitive protection services,” concluded the Special Representative.

Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters

Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox

Success!

Almost finished…

We need to confirm your email address.

To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.

Error!

There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

READ THE FULL REPORT

Number of grave violations

2,091 grave violations against 1,782 children (1,433 boys, 334 girls, 15 sex unknown)

Recruitment and use: 1,052 children

Killing and maiming: 530 children

Rape and other forms of sexual violence: 48 children

Abduction: 240 children

Attacks on schools (52) and hospitals (19): 71 incidents

Denial of Humanitarian Access: 150 incidents

ADVERTISEMENT