On Beslan school siege anniversary, UNICEF urges shielding children from war

Marking the first anniversary of the Beslan school tragedy in southern Russia in which some 330 people were killed, half of them children, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today called on all adults to shield youngsters from war, conflict and the “shattering violence” they face the world over.

“It is time to take stock. We are not doing enough for our children. We can do more,” UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Maria Calivis, said.

One year ago today, gunmen invaded School No. 1 in Beslan as it teemed with children and parents celebrating the first day of the school year. Three days later, the siege ended with many hundreds dead and wounded.

The people of Beslan have rallied behind their children and those children are reaching out to each other across religious and ethnic divides. “This community, scarred though it is, is charting a course to recovery,” Ms. Calivis said.

“Today, we join the families of Beslan to honour those who died in the siege of School No. 1. During those three days in September 2004, the sanctity of childhood itself came under attack. It plumbed the depths of inhumanity.”

The attack and the tragic events that followed were part of a rising tide of violence against children, UNICEF noted. “In other parts of the North Caucasus, in Darfur (in western Sudan), in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), through commercial sexual exploitation and even in their own homes, many children the world over endure shattering violence,” it added in a news release.

Long before the Beslan tragedy, UNICEF was running a humanitarian programme covering the North Caucasus, and agency staff based in nearby Vladikavkaz were able to react immediately to the aftermath of the siege, getting basic medical supplies into hospitals overnight. UNICEF provided educational supplies to the six remaining schools so that they could accommodate the overflow of children from School No. 1.

While the immediate physical needs of the children have been met, the psychological aftershocks remain. Every child in Beslan was affected in some way and UNICEF is still supporting teams of counsellors in schools and in the community to help children and families rebuild their lives.

Looking to the future, UNICEF has initiated a Peace Education and Tolerance programme for children and adolescents across the North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan regions of the Russian Federation to foster dialogue and tolerance between the children of these troubled Republics.