HRC 55th Session: Item 3: interactive dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children

13 March, 2024

Delivered by Shogher Sahakyan, Attaché

President,

Armenia welcomes the Special Representative.

We concur with the viewpoint that the need for stronger and prompt action to prevent violence against children remains urgent.

As a Pathfinding country of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, Armenia remains fully committed to its responsibilities and commends the transition of Partnership to new operational arrangements under the Lead of the Special Representative.

We value the observation of the report on the forced displacement of children. In our submission we drew attention to forcibly displaced children from Nagorno-Karabakh. 30 000 Armenian children, spending 9 months under the blockade deprived of essential supplies were subsequently deliberately and indiscriminately targeted during the large-scale military attack launched by Azerbaijan, that, inter alia, took the lives of 5 children. They were eventually forced to leave their ancestral homes under the threat of persecution and atrocity crimes.

Meanwhile in the middle of forced displacement children from Nagorno-Karabakh were targeted in Azerbaijani social media becoming victims of dissemination of hatred and faced violence, including sexual violence, online.

Currently forcibly displaced children of Nagorno-Karabakh undergo severe psychological trauma that may last for decades.

I thank you.

Right of reply

President,

We exercise our right of reply to Azerbaijan.

It is deeply painful that the children are among the first to fall victims of the armed hostilities. This has been the case with the unjustified and unprovocked attacks of Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2016, 2020 and 2023. In all cases children were killed in the course of the inhumane and indiscriminate bombardment of residential areas and schools by Azerbaijan. The use of cluster munition was confirmed by the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Throughout ten months long blockade of the Lachin corridor and subsequent forced displacement of more than 100.000 indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, violations of rights of 30.000 ethnic Armenian children were systematic and prevalent. Children have found themselves in siege, deprived of essential supplies, in particular food, hygiene items and medicine.

Furthermore, the fundamental right of children to education was blatantly violated since Azerbaijan cut the gas and electricity supplies in cold winter weather conditions. In the absence of heating and food, the educational process in Nagorno-Karabakh was interrupted.

Childrens’ health was endangered as they were unable to receive primary and proper medical care along with suspended planned surgeries. The psychological health of children was wracked as well. About 270 children were separated from their families and remained without parental care.Being deliberately targeted and attacked, children have spent hours in basements hiding from heavy artillery shelling hungry, exhausted, and freezing․

After being subjected to starvation and to indiscriminate attacks children were forced to leave their ancestral homes, leaving everything behind. Many of them were obliged to spent more than 42 hours on the road in attempts to save their lives.

Government of the Republic of Armenia, in cooperation with various partners, consolidated actions to protect the rights of dicplaced children, ensure their access to much needed care and support. Children have been receiving psychological and phyco-social support in Armenia.

The continued occupation of the sovereign territories of Armenia by Azerbaijan also causes the violation of a number of rights of numerous children living in close vicinity to the border. The occupation has been confirmed by virious international reports, the monitors of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe among them. Recently Azerbaijan officially announced that it is not going to withdrew from occupied territories of Armenia.

Thank you.

MFA RA
official website

Dual citizenship

Electronic visa

Visa applications