NGOs appeal to UN over Armenia's use of children in military actions

NGOs functioning in Azerbaijan have sent a statement to the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflicts, Virginia Gamba, over Armenia's use of children under the age of 15 in military actions and their upbringing in the spirit of Azerbaijanphobia, Report informs.

The statement expressed protest against the direct involvement of children in military actions by Armenia and their military training by military organizations such as VOMA, POGA, and Mets Tigran during the Second Karabakh War.

The document said that by involving children aged under 15 in military actions, the Armenian side grossly violated not only the relevant clauses of the Geneva Convention but also Article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted at the 44th session of the UN General Assembly on November 20, 1989. The Convention calls on the participating states to strictly observe the norms of international humanitarian law concerning children during armed conflicts, in particular prohibiting the direct participation of persons under the age of 15 in military operations and invites them to take all measures in this regard.

The statement was undersigned by 48 NGOs.