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In a newly issued global statement, the International Play Association (IPA) World Board and Council ‘condemns in the strongest possible terms the ongoing and systematic violation of children’s rights in conflict zones across the world’. The statement has been issued on behalf of IPA members in almost 50 countries.
The statement, which references examples from Gaza and Iran, emphasises:
‘Children are not combatants. Schools are not military targets. Play, safety, and the right to a childhood are not privileges, they are rights enshrined under international law … A child whose life is at imminent risk cannot play … We are clear: there is no military or political justification that supersedes the rights of children.’
IPA World, and its global membership, make clear that it will ‘continue to advocate, loudly and without apology, for the rights of every child in every conflict zone’. The statement closes with the timely reminder about every child’s right to play:
‘Play is how children know they are safe. It is how they heal, how they hope, and how they reclaim their humanity after horror. In Palestine, in Iran, in Ukraine, in every corner of the world where children are suffering, IPA World stands with them. Every child deserves the right to play.’
The statement has been shared on the IPA’s Facebook and LinkedIn social media pages.