Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

I rise today in support of the motion from the member for Corangamite. It is an important motion because UNICEF is an important institution. As we have heard, it operates in 190 countries and territories to ensure the survival, the protection, the development and the empowerment of children.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child—every child—has a right to survive, to thrive and to fulfil their potential. Few would disagree with this ambition, but in light of the challenges we face as a global community it would seem an optimistic one.

Today, the twin drivers of humanitarian need—violent conflict and the impact of climate change—have put a greater strain on the rights of the child than UNICEF has ever had to contend with. Its 70th anniversary is a moment to recognise what it has achieved since 1946—enormous achievements since 1946—and what still remains to be achieved.

The number of children trapped in humanitarian crises around the world is both staggering and sobering. Nearly 250 million children live in countries affected by violent conflicts. It is a statistic that is shocking, and because it is so shocking it is impossible to comprehend its scale—250 million children living in countries that are affected by violent conflicts. But every now and then, we are reminded of the children that help to make up that statistic, despite that shocking, large number.

On 14 April 2014, the world reacted in horror at the news that over 270 schoolgirls had been abducted in the night from the government secondary school in the town of Chibok in north-east Nigeria. These girls were targeted because they were girls, and this school was targeted because it was teaching them.

Education is one of the basic rights in a child's life. Education empowers individuals to take control of their future, to drive their independence and to unlock their potential. And all too often education is one of the first casualties of conflict—particularly for girls.

Since 2014, Boko Haram has uprooted at least 1.3 million children across four countries in the Lake Chad region—1.3 million children over the last two years—and the majority of these children are girls. More than 1,800 schools have been closed, damaged, looted, set on fire or converted into refugee camps.

The ongoing violence has created a hellish scenario. Teachers fear teaching and students fear studying. And as a result, more than 670,000 children have not been to school in over a year. It is fair to say that this challenge is daunting. It is fair to say it is intimidating—it is overwhelming—and yet we cannot simply assume the challenge will inevitably be met once peace prevails.

The right of a child to an education is one we must never take for granted. The effects of war and conflict hurt children and they hurt adults. Quite often, the scars of conflict extend for a lifetime. Around the world, 59 million primary-aged children are not in school. UNICEF estimates more than a third are in countries affected by war and conflict. Yet despite this enormous challenge, UNICEF's work on the ground has seen remarkable results.

Last year, over 250,000 children were able to return to schools in conflict-affected areas in north-east Nigeria. The rights of a child to a decent education are supported by the right to health, and UNICEF's immunisation program saw the complete eradication of polio in India in 2012. And in 2015—just last year—Africa celebrated its first year without any reported polio cases.

The number of children dying before their fifth birthday has declined from 12.7 million in 1990 to 5.9 million in 2015. That is still 5.9 million too many, but the work that UNICEF has done has significantly reduced that mortality rate and made significant improvements in terms of equality.

I congratulate UNICEF and its staff around the world and thank them for all the good work they do. And I wish their work was easier; it is so hard to fathom the challenges that UNICEF confronts, but their work is to be congratulated. I commend them and thank them, and wish them continued success over the next 70 years.

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