ADDIS ABABA, MORE than 11 000 children have been killed or maimed while over 4 600 others have been raped in conflicts across Africa between 2014 and 2018.<\/P>
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Armed groups have recruited 24 000 other children during the period.<\/P>
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More than 3 500 schools and hospitals have been attacked, further endangering the lives of minors.<\/P>
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There have been more than 55 882 grave violations against children in conflict-afflicted countries.<\/P>
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Save the Children, which advocates for the rights of minors, disclosed the figures ahead of the African Union’s (AU) 33rd Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that began on Sunday.<\/P>
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The figures are contrary to the AU’s flagship campaign, Silencing the Guns, launched in 2013.<\/P>
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Doris Mpoumou, Save the Children’s representative to the AU, said while some limited progress had been made, conflict and insecurity still plague Africa.<\/P>
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As always, children are on the frontline, Mpoumou said.<\/P>
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She said while the commitment to Silencing the Guns was commendable, leaders must add urgency to their work.<\/P>
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Real action needs to be taken to stop the war on children, Mpoumou said.<\/P>
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On a positive note, South Sudan’s government has signed an Action Plan to end and prevent all grave violations against children.<\/P>
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Virginia Gamba, the United States envoy on Children and Armed Conflict, welcomed the landmark plan.<\/P>
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Ultimately, peace remains the best protection possible from hostilities for boys and girls and the only road to sustainable development, Gamba said.<\/P>
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The UN and partners facilitated the release of at least 280 children from armed groups in 2019 in South Sudan.<\/P>
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Source: CAJ News Agency <\/P>
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