Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of recruitment of children into (a) the military and (b) paramilitary groups in (i) Sudan and (ii) South Sudan.

As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK is committed to supporting, promoting, and defending the UN Children and Armed Conflict mandate. The UN Secretary General's annual report on Children in Armed Conflict released earlier this month highlights the deteriorating situation globally, with a dramatic escalation in the number of violations in Sudan. We continue to work with partners, including through the UN Security Council, to call on the warring parties in Sudan to fully implement the Jeddah Declaration, which includes a commitment to refrain from recruiting and using children in hostilities.

Despite the introduction of a South Sudanese Government action plan on Children in Armed Conflict, all six grave violations against children continue to be carried out: recruitment and use of children; killing and maiming; rape and sexual violence; abduction and attacks on schools and hospitals; and denial of humanitarian access. The UK supported the 8 May renewal of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which will enable it to continue its critical mandate, including protecting civilians and human rights monitoring.