Issues related to children in the Islamic world are challenging and need to be addressed with a sense of urgency, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has said.

Children in many societies continue to face abuse, including forced child labor, trafficking, sexual abuse and recruitment as child soldiers, despite the international laws that have been established to protect them.

“A challenge in the way of childhood development is poverty. This is most acute in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). We must remain vigilant to ensure the protection of children and their security, in particular the underprivileged children in urban societies. It should therefore be our collective responsibility to ensure a safe environment for the children where they are provided with basic facilities and services and are protected against all forms of abuse and social ills and injustices,” Ihsanoglu said in his address to the Fourth Islamic Conference of Ministers in Charge of Childhood, held on Nov.11 and 12 in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Educational Organization (ISESCO) organized the conference in coordination with the OIC General Secretariat under the patronage of Ilham Heydaroglu Alieyev, president of Azerbaijan.

Ihsanoglu explained that governments alone couldn’t protect children and safeguard their well-being alone. Stakeholders including the civil society and NGOs must address the issues and challenges facing underprivileged children in the urbanization process as well as those who live in rural poverty.

He said it is encouraging to know that most of the OIC member states are signatories and state parties to international covenants. These include the OIC Covenant on the Rights of the Child in Islam, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its protocols and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Girl Child. These documents complement national laws to protect children and help their physical and mental development.

He stressed that the OIC remains committed to the protection and promotion of children in the Muslim world and the need to address the issues and challenges confronting them in the best possible manner.

The OIC Ten-Year Program of Action adopted by the Third Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference in December 2005 continues to be the basis of furthering the efforts to address children’s issue.

The secretary-general explained that the family is the nucleus of Muslim societies and plays an important role in the upbringing of children.





“I strongly believe that children could be best looked after through a strong family-oriented approach supported by educational institutions. To strengthen this approach, the Department of Family Affairs was established in the OIC General Secretariat to deal with issues related to children, among other things.”

The General Secretariat of the OIC is working toward achieving the goals of the Ten-Year Program of Action in cooperation with ISESCO and other OIC institutions and member states.

The OIC is committed to providing free and quality education for all children and strengthening laws aimed at preserving the rights of children as well as ensuring for them the highest possible health levels, asserted the secretary general.

The OIC Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights (IPHRC) that was established recently has prioritized children’s issues in its agenda and activities.

Ihsanoglu drew attention to female genital mutilation, which he said was a concern to all. He pointed out that the practice has never been sanctioned under any Islamic law.

“It is a social prejudice against the girl child and poses a serious health hazard that can be fatal. I feel encouraged that the earlier sessions of the Islamic Ministers of Childhood have given due recognition to the issue. I believe that we have to do more to enlighten the concerned societies of its dangerous repercussions and raise the necessary awareness to put an end to the practice,” he added.

Children are among the worst victims in natural and man-made disasters including floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, cyclones and civil strife, he added.

“My heart goes out to the millions of children in many member states who are innocent victims. These children need our immediate support. I would hope that this session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers in Charge of Childhood would take some concrete decisions on a joint action plan to bring succor to those children and to ensure their safety and security.”