Children are the most innocent victims of conflicts across the world, yet in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmiri children and youth have suffered unimaginable atrocities, fear, and psychological trauma for decades. The continued Indian military presence, occupation and repression in the region have deprived thousands of children of their basic rights, including the right to life, education, health, dignity, and freedom. The painful reality is that Kashmiri children have become direct targets of Indian state violence aimed at suppressing the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people for right to Self determination.
One of the gravest examples of brutality against children in Jammu and Kashmir is the use of pellet guns by Indian forces. Since their deployment, pellet-firing shotguns have blinded and permanently injured hundreds of children. Young boys and girls have lost their eyesight, suffered severe facial injuries, and endured lifelong disabilities. Hospitals in occupied Kashmir have witnessed heartbreaking scenes where children with bleeding eyes and shattered faces cry in pain while their families helplessly watch their future being destroyed.
Apart from physical violence, arbitrary arrests &detention and torture of children have become common practices. Numerous reports reveal that Kashmiri minors are picked up during night raids, detained without proper legal procedures, and kept in jails alongside hardened criminals. These children are allegedly subjected to severe torture, intimidation, and inhuman treatment. Various methods of physical and psychological torture are reportedly used to force confessions and create fear among the population. Such actions are clear violations of international human rights law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The suffering of Kashmiri families is further intensified by the imprisonment of women. Reports indicate that around 183 Kashmiri women are presently lodged in Indian jails under different fictitious charges. Many of them are mothers whose children are left traumatized and without care. The detention of women not only destroys families but also creates deep emotional and psychological scars on Kashmiri children who grow up in an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty, and grief.
Education in the region has also been severely affected. Frequent curfews, military operations, communication blackouts, and violence have disrupted schooling for years. Children are forced to witness raids, arrests, killings, and harassment in their neighborhoods, leaving long-term effects on their mental health and emotional development.
The situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir must be understood in its political and legal context. Jammu and Kashmir is a United Nations recognized disputed territory, and its people have repeatedly demanded their right to self-determination in accordance with UN resolutions. However, instead of resolving the dispute peacefully, the continued use of force, repression, and collective punishment against civilians, including children, has deepened the humanitarian crisis in the region.
The international community, human rights organizations, and United Nations mechanisms must urgently intervene to protect Kashmiri children from violence and abuse. Silence in the face of such suffering only encourages further violations. The children of Kashmir deserve peace, dignity, education, and a future free from fear and oppression.
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