Chinese envoy calls for protecting children from extremist ideology

UNITED NATIONS - The international community should prevent children from becoming the victims of terrorist and extremist ideologies, a Chinese envoy said on Tuesday.

Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN, made the appeal at a Security Council debate, while calling on countries to take effective measures to combat the use of internet by terrorists to spread terror.

"We should increase education of children and help children form a mentality of respect, openness and tolerance, reject violence and avoid negative influence of terrorist and extremist ideologies," said Liu.

"We should give full play to the role of families, schools and communities to form a protective umbrella against the encroachment on children by terrorist ideologies," he added.

In addition, Liu noted there should be a resolute fight against terrorism and the international community should firmly combat the crime of killing, abuse and abductions of children by terrorists.

At the debate, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "children still pay the highest price in wartime."

"Extremists are torturing, detaining and killing children, sending them on suicide missions and selling them as sex slaves," Ban said.

According to a UN report on children and armed conflict, children have been significantly affected by violent extremism in recent years and were often the direct targets of terrorist acts.

In this regard, Ban called on the Security Council to do everything possible to protect children from the scourge of armed conflict and spare others in the future.