Children's statement
Negative Impact of Illegal Unilateral Sanctions on the Fundamental Rights of Children
Introduction
Children are entitled to special protection under international human rights law due to their physical, mental, emotional, and social vulnerability. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) affirms that every child, without discrimination of any kind, has the right to survival, development, health, education, and an adequate standard of living (CRC, Articles 2, 6, 24, 27, and 28). States are required to take all appropriate legislative, administrative, and other measures to ensure the realization of these rights, including through international cooperation.
Despite these obligations, the rights of millions of children worldwide are adversely affected by unilateral Coercive measures (UCMs) imposed outside the framework of the United Nations Security Council. The Human Rights Council and multiple UN Special Procedures have repeatedly emphasized that unilateral coercive measures are contrary to international law and have severe humanitarian consequences. Children, as one of the most vulnerable groups in any society, bear a disproportionate share of the long-term and often irreversible harm caused by such measures.
Unilateral sanctions disrupt essential systems that children depend on for their development and wellbeing, including healthcare, education, food security, social protection, and safe living environments. The indirect and cumulative effects of UCMs undermine the core principles of the CRC, particularly the obligation to treat the best interests of the child as a primary consideration in all actions concerning children (CRC, Article 3).
Negative Impacts of Unilateral Sanctions on the Rights of Children
- Violation of the Right to Health and Survival
The right of the child to the highest attainable standard of health is enshrined in Article 24 of the CRC. Unilateral sanctions frequently restrict access to essential medicines, vaccines, medical equipment, and healthcare infrastructure through trade barriers, financial restrictions, and overcompliance by suppliers and banks.
The Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures has documented how sanctions impair national health systems, leading to shortages of medicines, delays in vaccination programs, and reduced access to maternal and child healthcare. These impacts directly threaten child survival, increase preventable morbidity and mortality, and undermine States’ obligations under Articles 6 and 24 of the CRC.
- Disruption of Education and Child Development
Education is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of children’s personal and social development (CRC, Articles 28 and 29). Unilateral sanctions undermine education systems by restricting access to educational materials, digital technologies, infrastructure development, and international cooperation in education.
Economic constraints caused by sanctions often force governments to reduce public spending on education, resulting in overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school infrastructure, and reduced access to inclusive and quality education. Children from marginalized backgrounds are particularly affected, increasing the risk of school dropout, child labor, and long-term social exclusion.
The Special Rapporteur on the right to education has warned that economic coercive measures can reverse decades of progress in educational access and quality, with lasting consequences for children’s futures.
- Threats to an Adequate Standard of Living and Nutrition
Article 27 of the CRC recognizes the right of every child to a standard of living adequate for physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social development. Unilateral sanctions often contribute to inflation, currency devaluation, unemployment, and reduced household income, making basic necessities such as food, clean water, and housing less accessible and less affordable.
The Human Rights Council has acknowledged in multiple resolutions that unilateral coercive measures disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable segments of society, including children. Malnutrition, food insecurity, and inadequate housing have long-term and sometimes irreversible effects on children’s physical growth, cognitive development, and overall wellbeing.
- Erosion of Social Protection and Child Welfare Systems
Children rely heavily on functioning public institutions and social protection systems. Sanctions-related economic pressure frequently leads to reduced public investment in child welfare services, including social assistance programs, child protection mechanisms, disability and psychosocial support services, and early childhood development initiatives.
The Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights has emphasized that austerity measures and economic shocks resulting from sanctions undermine States’ ability to protect children from neglect, exploitation, and abuse. Weakening these systems increases children’s exposure to harmful coping mechanisms, including child labor and early marriage.
- Psychosocial Harm and Loss of a Safe and Nurturing Environment
Children’s right to grow up in a safe, stable, and nurturing environment is implicit throughout the CRC. Unilateral sanctions create conditions of prolonged uncertainty, stress, and social instability that negatively affect children’s mental health and emotional development.
Disrupted services, parental unemployment, reduced access to community support, and increased household stress contribute to anxiety, depression, and trauma among children. The Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures has noted that the psychosocial consequences of sanctions are often underestimated, despite their profound and lasting impact on children’s wellbeing and social integration.
Recommendations
In light of these concerns, and Irrespective of our position that all unilateral sanctions are, as such, unlawful, the following recommendations are submitted to Member States of the Human Rights Council and relevant UN human rights mechanisms:
- Ensure the Primacy of the Best Interests of the Child
All sanctions-related policies must explicitly incorporate the principle of the best interests of the child, in accordance with Article 3 of the CRC, and must not result in foreseeable harm to children’s rights.
- Protect Child-Specific Services and Essential Goods
Sanctions regimes must include effective and enforceable exemptions for child-related goods and services, including medicines, vaccines, nutrition programs, educational materials, and child protection services.
- Strengthen International Cooperation
In line with Articles 4 and 28 of the CRC, States should enhance international cooperation to support education, health, and social protection systems affected by sanctions.
- Enhance Monitoring and Accountability
The Human Rights Council and its Special Procedures should continue to document, report, and address the impact of unilateral sanctions on children’s rights and reaffirm their incompatibility with international human rights law.
Conclusion
Unilateral sanctions, when imposed outside the framework of international law, undermine the fundamental rights of children and violate the core principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. No political or economic objective can justify measures that compromise children’s health, education, development, and dignity. A human rights–based approach requires that the protection of children remain a non-negotiable priority in all international policies and actions.