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The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (ECHR) has warned that the ongoing conflict may leave millions of children at a new level of vulnerability.
In a statement released by the commission on Friday, November 20, 2020, in connection with World Children’s Day this year, he urged the nation to expand its efforts to protect children from the recurring conflicts that have taken place in many locations across the country.
According to the statement, the prevailing conflicts such as Tigray, Oromia, Benishangul Gumuz and the regional states of the southern nations, have already taxed the rights and safety of children since food, water, education and other services essentials have been affected by conflict.
“The shortage of basic supplies is increasing the vulnerability of children, while causing displacement, separation from parents, sexual violence and child exploitation, leading to the violation of children’s rights,” the statement explains.
The statement further indicated that studies conducted internationally found that one in five children is vulnerable to the widespread effects of conflict.
The statement highlighted the growing trends in ethnic identity and religious conflict in Ethiopia.
Furthermore, the latest conflict in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia is also included in the commission’s statement as an additional threat to children’s rights.
For this reason, the commission warned that “these conflicts will cause more physical injuries, displacement, separation from parents, sexual violence, child labor exploitation, recruitment of troops of forced children.”
In addition, he urged governmental and non-governmental organizations to do more to prevent conflicts from occurring, while calling on them to make greater efforts to address the current conflicts that have devastated many parts of the country.
Earlier this week, the commission issued a similar statement regarding the killing of more than 34 people in Benishangul Gumz.
In its statement issued on November 14, 2020, the commission expressed its sadness over a “gruesome” attack on a passenger bus heading from Wonbera to Chagni (Debate Woreda) in the Benishangul-Gumuz region on the night of the 14 of November.
