Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the conflict in Sudan on children.

The conflict in Sudan has had a devastating impact on civilians and especially women and children. According to UNICEF, six million children have become displaced and approximately 23 million children are exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation. Conflict Related Sexual Violence is endemic and young girls continue to be targeted. UNICEF also assessed that nearly 90 per cent of Sudan's school age children (17 million out of a total of 19 million children in Sudan) are no longer in school with armed violence cited as the main reason. The UK continues to support children through the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund which provides support to local responders, such as the Emergency Response Rooms, who provide humanitarian assistance across Sudan. We also support UNICEF who are providing lifesaving nutrition programmes to some of the most vulnerable children. We consistently use our position as penholder at the UN Security Council on Sudan to push the warring parties to honour the Jeddah Declaration and uphold humanitarian law and protect civilians. As leader of the Core Group on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council, we spearheaded the renewal of the Fact-Finding Mission's mandate which investigates human rights abuses and violations across Sudan. Those suspected of targeting, abusing or exploiting children must face justice.