A/HRC/31/19 the effects of terrorism on the enjoyment by all persons of human rights and fundamental freedoms.1 In addition, military responses targeting groups perpetrating extreme violence continued to raise challenges for the protection of children. Children caught in the middle of such operations have been killed and maimed and their homes and schools destroyed. The proliferation of airstrikes is of particular concern for the protection of children, as many airstrikes are of an indiscriminate nature. Moreover, in some cases, State-allied militias and vigilante groups have been mobilized, and children have been used in support roles and even as combatants. The Special Representative has continued to remind Member States concerned by her agenda that efforts to counter extreme violence and armed groups engaged in such violence must be carried out in full compliance with international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law. Failure to abide by those obligations only worsens the suffering of the civilian population and can have the unintended consequence of creating or adding to real or perceived grievances in the affected population. Moreover, when responding to extreme violence, Member States should ensure that their rules of engagement take into account the fact that a large number of children are associated with these groups and may have been placed on the front line, either to engage in combat or as human shields. 11. Purely military and security approaches have not proved effective in addressing extreme violence; prevention must be a key component of response strategies. Extreme violence does not occur in a vacuum, which is why it is necessary, as a first step to finding a lasting solution, to identify and address its root causes and catalysts, such as poverty, lack of good governance, political grievances, the alienation of communities and lack of opportunities for youth. Action is required by the international community, regional organizations and individual Member States to mobilize resources to build resilience and strengthen protective environments for children. In countries affected by conflict, education is one tool that can help to prevent social exclusion and promote respect for human rights, peace and diversity, and reduce the vulnerability of children. In addition, the effective reintegration of children associated with armed groups is crucial. Indoctrination and trauma from exposure to extreme violence can increase the complexity of reintegrating children into their former communities. In addition, a new and compounding challenge for Member States is the regular use, by groups perpetrating extreme violence, of propaganda on the Internet and social media to recruit youth and children. 12. In its resolution S-23/1 on atrocities committed by the terrorist group Boko Haram and its effects on human rights in the affected States, the Human Rights Council expressed deep concern regarding the recruitment and use of children and other grave violations by Boko Haram.2 In January 2015, following the listing of Boko Haram as a party in conflict that kills and maims children and that engages in attacks on schools and hospitals (see A/68/878-S/2014/339, annex II), the Special Representative travelled to Nigeria. During that visit, she assessed the impact of the conflict in north-eastern Nigeria on children, supported the roll-out of the monitoring and reporting mechanism and engaged with the Nigerian authorities. The Government of Nigeria agreed to enter into a formal collaboration with the United Nations on children and armed conflict through an interministerial committee based in Abuja and decentralized committees in the three conflict-affected states, and through the appointment of focal points at the federal and state levels. In her meetings with government and military officials, the Special Representative raised concerns 1 2 See the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the panel discussion on the effects of terrorism on the enjoyment by all persons of human rights and fundamental freedoms (A/HRC/30/64). Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, which during the reporting period renamed itself the Islamic State in West Africa, is commonly known as “Boko Haram”. 5