“Sudan school becomes the target of Aerial attack”
“More than 1000 schools have been bombed since the war began in Ukraine…”
“More than 200 schools in conflict zones closed in Libya”
Why are schools targeted during a war? Schools are used as military bases due to their somewhat “protective” status.
Schools and children are protected under laws of war and international human rights law. As outlined in the 1949 Geneva Convention, “The Occupying Power shall facilitate the proper working of all institutions devoted to the care and education of the children.” Similarly in 2015, the UN Security Council passed resolution-225 which addresses government duties to protect children during wartime.
The international law restricts military use of schools however, it does not completely outlaw the practice. Hence, we have seen multiple examples of schools being used by both the rebels and the state security forces. Opposition groups in particular are known to target schools because these very institutes promote things they oppose like the government or the right to girl's education. This is particularly true for Somalia, where schools were bombed by Al-Shabab, and students either were killed or were forced to flee. In 2012, only 12% of Somalian boys and 8% of girls were enrolled in secondary schools. One of the lowest enrollment rates in the world. Al-Shabab even used students as “human shields.” Those left were recruited into the group. In 2010 alone Al-Shabab recruited 2000 child soldiers.
Is the situation better for the developed world? Unfortunately, no. The conflict in Ukraine led to the closure of 150 schools in 2014. International laws were clearly not effective in keeping schools and children safe during wartime. So, in 2015 more than 50 countries endorsed the “Safe School Declaration.” The declaration strongly discourages the military from occupying and damaging a functioning school or actions that would put the school in a harmed way. If we don't see more countries joining this declaration and taking initiatives we might see more casualties and damage to education. What do you think the way forward is?
Do you know which countries did not support this declaration? USA, Canada, Colombia, UK… I know what you are thinking and still nobody saw it coming. The world is seeing it today because the ones who should have, didn't see it earlier.
Read the Safe School Declaration country list here.
I agree with your point about schools being symbolic targets. It's terrifying how schools, meant to foster hope and future generations, can become zones of violence. Al-Shabab's use of children as human shields is beyond cruel. We need stronger global commitment to end this exploitation of schools and children in conflict zones. The situation in Somalia and Ukraine really shows how fragile the protection of educational institutions is. It feels like there needs to be more accountability for countries and groups that violate these laws. Maybe the international community needs to step up enforcement or create new mechanisms to prevent schools from becoming battlegrounds.
Thank you for sharing Mahnoor, the situation is indeed very alarming. If the expected wartime disruption of educational institutes wasn't enough, jeopardizing the future of these children, we've seen far too many examples of schools being targeted in conflict zones, due to alleged use for military operations chosen specifically for their being protected buildings. The international community needs to be doing more to ensure that 1. Schools aren't used for any military purpose, and 2. Bombings of schools need to be followed up rigorously to corroborate or disprove allegations of it being a military target by the attacking side. Transparency from both sides and strong intervention by the global community through sanctions and boycotts are the way forward if we…
The international community has taken steps to condemn and prevent attacks on schools. However, as the post notes, these efforts have not been entirely successful. I believe that the international community should provide more support to education in conflict zones, in terms of funding and protection. This could include providing schools with security measures or helping schools to reopen after attacks.
Thank you for sharing this Mahnoor. Reading about the alarming attacks on schools in various conflict zones is truly distressing. The international laws aimed at safeguarding educational institutions and children during times of war, such as the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 2015 UN Security Council resolution, should ideally provide a protective shield. However, the sad reality is that these laws, while restricting military use of schools, have not been entirely effective in preventing such heinous acts. To address your question on the way forward, I think these nations need to advocate for stronger legal frameworks while collaborating with international legal bodies to ensure accountability. International human rights organizations can monitor and report on the compliance of countries with global…
Thank you for the insight Mahnoor! The data shared here forces me to consider, however, why are the schools targeted so specifically amongst other institutions that carry public at mass levels (other than hospitals which too are targeted often breaching all international conventions).
But my question here is that what is then a solution? Global conflicts remain a reality till today and can exist in many forms including terrorism , small scale conflicts or wars. Is the world too polarised to now carry out education in the same form as it has been since centuries? Can we not allow students to go to hostile schools and get educated? Is online education a solution to such issues? Share your opinion please