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Madame President, I wish to thank the US Presidency of the Security Council for holding this debate. I also thank SRSG on children and armed conflict, Mme Leila Zerrougui, for the tirelessness and dedication in carrying out her work, and all other briefers for their contributions. Lithuania aligns itself with the statement to be delivered on behalf of the European Union.

Regular debates on the subject are vital because for all the progress achieved, especially on the legislative side, crimes continue to be committed against children in armed conflicts in different parts of the world, with both, governments and armed groups as perpetrators of such horrible acts.

Due to the widespread availability and proliferation of modern light weapons, children not even tens years old are forced to kill or be killed. We cannot stress enough the importance of implementation of Council Resolution 2117 on small arms in this respect, including greater focus on how to help states to tighten control over arms.

Children are used to clear mines, manufacture and plant IEDs and sent to carry out suicide attacks. Forced displacement, sexual slavery, abductions and recruitment and the huge physical and psychological traumas shape the brutal reality for countless children in conflict zones.

Girls are particularly vulnerable as they may be kidnapped for use as “wives” or sex slaves, or given away as child brides, including in order to buy time, or reprieve from violence, or a few meager meals for the rest of the family. Local communities often stigmatize girls who have been associated with armed groups and are suspected of having been raped. As a result, many of crimes against girls remain unreported, either missed at the point of identification and release, or because they actively avoid assistance programmes. Many of them will never benefit from rehabilitation and reintegration assistance. For this reason we stress that special efforts should be made to take into account and meet the needs of girls.

Child recruitment remains a particular and constant concern. In 2013 alone, more than 4,000 cases of child recruitment and use were documented by the UN. The real numbers are likely to be higher. Out of the 59 parties listed for grave violations against children in the latest report by UNSG, eight are government security forces and 51 armed groups.

We note the steps taken by relevant governments to address the problem and strongly encourage all of them to reaffirm their commitment and seek tangible progress in implementing national action plans, to achieve the goals set out in the joint UNICEF-SRSG-CAAC campaign Children Not Soldiers to end recruitment and use of children by government forces by 2016.

While we welcome the recent delisting of Chad, signing by Yemen of an action plan to end child recruitment, and reconfirmation of commitment to end child recruitment by Afghanistan and South Sudan, we urge Sudan, the only remaining country among the eight listed, to sign without further delay an action plan aimed at stopping the recruitment of children.

What we find particularly worrying is the fact that over half of the parties listed - a whole 31 - are marked as persistent perpetrators, present on the list for at least 5 years. This Council must renew its efforts in dealing with such persistent perpetrators. 

Madame President,

The rise and continuous activity of various armed groups and non-state actors demands greater attention, also in view of the extent and rare barbarity of violence they commit.

Thus in April 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from a school in northeastern Nigeria, following the burning down of a school in Borno in February, where nearly 60 children were brutally killed.

In May ISIS abducted more than 150 Kurdish boys returning from Aleppo after end-of- year exams. My delegation supports including abduction of children as an additional trigger for the monitoring and reporting mechanism and for name-and-shame listings in the annexes of UNSG reports.

We must make sure that the tools at our disposal are well suited to tackle conflict-related crimes against children, and have strong elements of dissuasion and deterrence as well as accountability and justice. Existing lessons learned, from worst failures to best practices, of states concerned should serve as a useful guidance. The role of relevant regional organizations should be further explored and utilised.

All tools available to this Council should be consistently employed, including use of child recruitment and violence against children as sanctions designation criteria; regular thematic briefings by SRSG to this Council and to relevant sanctions committees; and cooperation with the ICC and special tribunals, fact finding missions and commissions of inquiry.

While specific language on the protection of children is becoming part and parcel of mission mandates, deployment of child protection advisors and strong general awareness among the troops are required to ensure quick and credible information - and action- on the situation of children in armed conflicts.

On the other hand, legal cases against perpetrators of child recruitment and violence against children are still too few and far in between. When they occur, they should be given greater publicity to bring home the point of accountability.

In this context, let me note my delegation's concern about the failure so far by the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict to adopt its conclusions on Syria, where more than 10000 children have fallen victims to conflict-related killings, maiming, displacements, and forced early marriages. Massive numbers of Syrian children are deprived of their right to education. We strongly urge all Council members to place the fate of Syrian children above all and rally behind relevant conclusions by the Working Group.

Madame President,

Earlier this year we adopted resolution 2143, which had as a key focus the need to respect and protect schools from attacks and the use by armed forces o groups. The recent situation in Gaza reminded us again of the huge gap between the letter of the resolution and its implementation.

It is deplorable that schools, the very places that should be safe havens for children, are subjected to attacks or are converted into military uses, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the said resolution. In fact, a recent study shows that since 2009, schools and universities have been used for military purposes in more than 30 countries, as barracks, detention centers, fighting positions, weapons storages and etc. Timely and accurate monitoring and reporting is crucial for responding to such attacks and holding the perpetrators accountable.

We all know that when soldiers move into schools, students and teachers are displaced, and education is disrupted for long months if not years. Again, girls' right to education is usually more affected, as parents may be particularly wary of sending their daughters to schools occupied by soldiers, for fear of sexual abuse and other sorts of violence.

Lithuania strongly condemns any and all attacks on schools and reminds all conflict parties of their obligation under international humanitarian law to respect the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack. We call on all states and non-state actors to abide by the Lucens Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict as a practical measure for protecting schools from military use.

To conclude, M. President, let me convey my delegation’s appreciation to the dedicated work carried out by Luxembourg, chair of the working Group on Children and Armed conflicts. Let me assure our Luxembourgois colleagues and SRSG Zerrougui of our full support and cooperation as you continue your vital work for the sake of thousands of conflict-affected children.

Thank you, Madame President.