At UNSC, India Exposes Pakistan's 'Gross Hypocrisy' Over Terror And Child Rights Abuses

ETVBHARAT

India's Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish sharply rebuked Pakistan at the debate on Children and Armed Conflict, accusing it of misusing the platform.

Transcript

00:00Madam President, I thank Ghana for organizing today's important open debate on children

00:08in armed conflict. My delegation appreciates the briefers for their presentation.

00:14Our world is witnessing an alarming escalation in conflicts and terrorist attacks, and children

00:20are their most unfortunate casualties. As per the UNSG's report, grave violations against

00:26children have surged 25%, while sexual violence has risen 35% in 2024, a sobering indictment

00:34that demands immediate and decisive action. Therefore, today's discussion is both urgent

00:40and necessary. Creating an enabling environment for holistic development of children is fundamental

00:46for child protection. Their safety, nutrition, and education should be prioritized at national

00:53and household levels. Children in conflict and post-conflict situations, however, require

00:57specialized attention and psychosocial support for their successful reintegration into society.

01:03Thus, sustained efforts by the state are required to build these essential ecosystems.

01:10India leads by example and has taken several steps to protect children and aid their growth

01:14and development. India established the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in

01:191927 to ensure that all laws, policies, programs, and administrative systems conform to the vision

01:24of the rights of the child as enunciated in the Constitution of India, as well as the United

01:29Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Mission What Sell Your Scheme is a flagship child

01:33welfare and protection initiative aimed at ensuring the safety, protection, and holistic development

01:39of children, especially those in vulnerable situations. We also undertake periodic and comprehensive

01:45awareness campaigns, including among security personnel, on child protection and child rights.

01:50Another concrete step is incorporating child protection provisions into the standard operating

01:55procedures of security personnel. Our experience in peacekeeping operations underlines the need

02:00to allocate sufficient resources and requisite number of child protection advisors in peacekeeping

02:06missions for effective child protection programs. Madam President, National Governments

02:11Sole Primary Responsibility for Protecting Children's Rights Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

02:14With over 7000 children newly recruited by armed groups in 2024, member states must establish comprehensive

02:21legal frameworks to ensure effective prosecution of child-related crimes.

02:25Finally, children remain particularly vulnerable to indoctrination on violent extremist ideologies and

02:31radical terrorist recruitment. Member states should work together on the child protection agenda

02:35and counterterrorism. It is high time that member states shed their political inhibitions to hold both

02:40both terrorist perpetrators and their state sponsors accountable for exploiting the most

02:45innocent and vulnerable population.

02:49In this context, I am constrained to respond to the politically motivated remarks made

02:53by the delegate of Pakistan, one of the grave violators of the CAC agenda.

02:58Pakistan is casting unwarranted aspersions over UN processes and also smearing India

03:03at various discussions to pursue their nefarious agenda.

03:07We reject this attempt by Pakistan to deflect attention from the atrocities committed against

03:12children in their country, as highlighted in the Secretary General's report, as well

03:16as their rampant cross-border terrorism.

03:19The world has not forgotten the savage targeted attacks by Pakistani and Pakistani-trained terrorists

03:25killing 26 tourists in India in Pahlgham, Jammu and Kashmir on the 22nd of April 2025.

03:31The Security Council had issued a press statement on 25 April which underlined the need to hold

03:36perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act accountable and

03:41bring them to justice.

03:43India had undertaken non-escalatory, proportionate and focused attacks that targeted nine terrorist

03:50infrastructure sites on the 7th of May 2025 in response through Operation Sindur.

03:56The terrorists killed in these attacks were given straight funerals by Pakistan.

04:00And yet, they tried to preach to others.

04:03The Secretary General's report on CAC provides details of serious violations against children

04:08in armed conflict in Pakistan.

04:10The Secretary General has expressed concern at the rise in such grave violations reported,

04:15including attacks against schools, particularly girls' schools, against health workers and

04:19about the incidents in the border areas with Afghanistan, where a series of killing and maiming of Afghan

04:24children was directly attributed to cross-border shelling and air strikes by Pakistani armed forces.

04:30The Pakistani army also deliberately shelled our border villages in May 2025, killing and injuring a number of civilians.

04:37To preach at this body after such behavior is grossly hypocritical.

04:42In conclusion, I would like to highlight that the anti-union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and will

04:47always be an integral and inalienable part of India irrespective of the frequent incessant spate of lies and falsehoods by Pakistan.

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