Today marks the UN International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression – an annual observance day established in 1982 during the Lebanon War.
It acknowledges the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse, particularly during wartime, and it reaffirms our commitment to protecting the rights of children.
It is a sad reality that in situations where armed conflict breaks out, it is the most vulnerable members of societies – often children – who are most affected by the consequences of war.
That continues to this day. From Myanmar to Afghanistan and from Yemen and Ukraine, the most innocent of all victims remain children.
The six most common violations are recruitment and use of children in war, killing, sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access.
In Yemen, there are reports of recruitment of child fighters, an ongoing humanitarian crisis and children falling victims to air strikes.
Shamefully, Britain provides weaponry that is used in those air strikes, and today we should all take a moment to reflect on the role we want to play in the world.
In Ukraine, meanwhile, we’ve seen and heard countless reports of children falling prey to Russian air strikes and military aggression. Despite convoys and buildings brandishing signs to indicate children inside, Putin’s ruthless invasion has been indiscriminate in its violence.
Last Saturday, I was pleased to receive a timely invite to a Ukrainian refugee support group that meets at All Saints Church in the ward I represent – Goldsmid.
The group is co-ordinated by the Network of International Women for Brighton and Hove and includes Ukrainian residents from our city.
The group provides a place for refugees to come together once a week to meet each other in a safe and welcoming space and access advice and support from some excellent and committed volunteers from organisations including Citizen’s Advice and the DWP, Adult Education, and a youth engagement officer from the council.
Most of the refugees were women and children and it brought home to me the reality of how difficult it is to establish some sort of normality in another country while recovering from trauma and all the time worrying about partners and parents who are on the front line fighting for their country.
So, today, let’s remember the current conflicts that plague our planet, the ongoing struggle for peace and the millions of children who are so often not only caught up in conflicts but become targets within them.
Elsewhere this weekend, my plans included joining some of the street parties to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
This Jubilee Weekend is an opportunity to unite us all and encapsulate the best of Britain – bank holidays that our trade unions and ordinary workers fought for that we can now all enjoy – as well as a celebration of a dutiful woman who has given every second of her life to public service and has always put her country first.
Councillor John Allcock is the joint leader of the Labour opposition on Brighton and Hove City Council.
Thanks John!
Now on a local platform, could someone empty our bins, remove grafitti and weed the pavements?
Agreed John. There’s a lot of bad stuff going on in the world currently.
However, you are a local politician who was elected to serve the people of Brighton and Hove – this is your first priority. Residents are getting kinda tired of pious local politicians
I have to agree with Cllr Allcock but wish the local Labour Party would stick to local issues. I know they held the anti nuclear weapon debate and if the war in Ukraine escalates that means we will not be nuked in Brighton by Putins missles but I wish the focus was more on bins, the state of the city and improvement transport infrastructure.
Why don’t local politicians stick with local issues? Surely this is the function for which they were elected. There is a clear remit at the next local elections in May to vote for independent councillors, who will do what is best for the city, and not constantly indulge in overblown virtue signalling
Political ideology, Peter and most of the other commentators. Local issues are indeed the function for which they were elected, but many of them who have nailed their colours to a particular political party just spout the national party line, or, as you rightly say, do overblown virtue signalling. This might be what paid MPs do, but not local councillors who mostly have other paid jobs and are part-time.
The ward boundary changes are due to be announced next month and, if there is any chance of getting rid of any of the current ideologs, then a fair number of credible independents need to be standing up, making waves and stating their case in the next very few weeks. If they don’t, then we’ll be left with the same old thing for another four years come next May.
Complaining about the current councillor behaviour/make-up is all very well, but where and who exactly are these independents who are going to stand up, campaign vigorously on local issues and get the votes??
These people now love in Hove. Thus a local issue
Be nice if our concillors used these opinion pieces to talk about the LOCAL issues that most concern BHN’s readers.
You would expect a load of woke meanderings from Green councillors. Time was when Labour in Brighton and Hove did its best to support and represent residents. There are very few decent Labour councillors left – Peter Atkinson had to resign from the party because he felt that they no longer stood for traditional Labour values. The Party has been ruined by Momentum. Upsetting!