Britain Formally Pledges to Protect Schools in Wartime

Expand Naxalite fighters exploded two bombs in Belhara High School, Jharkhand, on the evening of April 9, 2009. One bomb, on the school’s lower floor, blasted a hole in the wall between two classrooms, as well as the outside wall. © 2009 Bede Sheppard/Human Rights Watch Britain’s announcement today that it is backing the Safe Schools Declaration is as important as it is timely. The Declaration, in which governments pledge to not use schools for military purposes and to protect them during military operations, has now been signed by 74 countries, including the majority of NATO and EU member…

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