“There are 120 countries that believe this is unacceptable. They’ve all signed the Safe Schools Declaration, an international political commitment to protect education during war. Sadly, the United States isn’t one of them.”
In 2015, countries joined together to initiate the Safe Schools Declaration. By endorsing the Declaration, countries agree to put their political muscle behind children and their education. They promise to investigate and prosecute attacks that violate the laws of war, help victims, try to continue safe education during wartime and restore access after attacks, and protect schools from military use.
“Over a dozen countries have revised their military guidance to ensure more protection for schools and education, including Denmark, Ecuador, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom;” HRW noted. “Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya have prosecuted people responsible for attacking schools. Alongside these countries, UN peacekeepers have nearly stopped deploying in schools. Key UN officials have also urged countries to endorse the Declaration.”
“What’s baffling is that the United States ostensibly supports all the elements of the Safe Schools Declaration;” the NGO says.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the guardian of international humanitarian law, says it supports the Safe Schools Declaration because while the Declaration does not change the laws of war, it improves compliance with them. So even Pentagon lawyers who hone close to the letter of the law have nothing to be concerned about.
“Signing a declaration that protects schools and education during wartime should be an easy sell for the U.S. government. The Declaration couldn’t be more timely or relevant, including for Gaza, given Israel’s recent bombing of a UN school there.”
Referring to the “upholding girls’ education” as the “popular justification for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan,” HRW urges the United States to join the Safe Schools Declaration and support the global movement to protect education from attack.