
UNICEF
Belarus/Russian Child Trafficking
School Closures Leading to Child Marriage
About this Committee
UNICEF, also known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund was established under its parent committee, the United Nations General Assembly, as a committee dedicated to ensuring protections for children, especially those particularly disadvantaged, including those who are victims of natural disasters, violence, exploitation, and extreme poverty, among other things. After the COVID-19 pandemic’s height had ravaged international economies, many schools experienced budget cuts and eventual closure, which led to child marriage experiencing a steep increase, especially in less developed nations. This violates basic expectations for development for children, as well as the basic rights of children to both pursue education and not be forced into marriage before they’ve reached peak development, so it warrants immediate address by the UNICEF subset of the United Nations General Assembly. In addition to this, children in the Belarus/Russian regions are at risk with child trafficking on the rise as well. Children are being forcibly taken, moved across borders, and made to partake in age inapproriate activities, which goes against the very tenets of what UNICEF and the United Nations as a whole stands on.