A/HRC/37/33 31 lack of education). Without appropriate intervention, such toxic stress can lead to the development of anxiety, depression or other emotional and behaviour disorders, the impact of which can continue to undermine children’s long-term well-being, even after the crisis has passed.32 49. In this regard, a child’s right to play, as described under article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, must be emphasized. As the Committee on the Rights of the Child pointed out in its general comment No. 17 (2013), opportunities for play, recreation and cultural activity can play a significant therapeutic and rehabilitative role in helping children to recover a sense of normality and joy after their experience of loss, dislocation and trauma. It can help them to overcome emotional pain and to regain control of their lives, restoring a sense of identity, and helping them come to terms with what has happened to them. D. Access to education 50. The implementation of the right to education in humanitarian situations, such as complex emergencies or natural disasters, can be challenging. Nonetheless, education is, as laid out in articles 28 and 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a fundamental right of the child, and can play an essential role during emergencies, because it can strengthen children’s resilience and protect them from human rights violations. For children in humanitarian situations, school attendance can act as a preventative measure against abuse, neglect and violence. 51. When in a safe learning environment, a child is less likely to suffer from sexual violence and exploitation, hazardous child labour, abduction or recruitment into armed forces or groups.33 Moreover, in such an environment, children who need assistance can be identified and supported. Education can strengthen critical survival skills and coping mechanisms, and enable children to make informed decisions about how to survive and care for themselves in dangerous environments. It can mitigate the psychosocial impact of humanitarian situations by providing a sense of normality, routine, stability and structure, and help children who have experienced trauma to reintegrate into their peer group. Education in humanitarian situations should be relevant to the needs of children, but also encourage critical thinking. It should seek to build a culture of safety and resilience, through the empowerment of children in identifying, analysing and monitoring risks, and implementing programmes to mitigate them. 34 Furthermore, a crisis may provide an opportunity to teach all members of a community new skills and values: for example, the importance of inclusive education, participation and tolerance, conflict resolution, human rights, environmental conservation and disaster prevention. 35 52. The Minimum Standards for Education proposed by the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies articulate the minimum level of educational quality and access in emergencies through to recovery and aims at enhancing the quality of educational preparedness, response and recovery; increasing access to safe and relevant learning opportunities for all learners, regardless of their age, gender or abilities; and ensuring accountability and coordination in the provision of education in emergencies through to recovery. 53. In the context of armed conflict, schools and universities should not be used by military forces for any purpose in support of their military effort. Educational facilities are, however, often taken over either partially or entirely to be turned into military bases, used as detention facilities, for training fighters, or to store and hide weapons and ammunition, 31 32 33 34 35 Child Protection Working Group, A Matter of Life and Death (see footnote 13), sect. 3.4. Ibid. See UNICEF, Keeping Children Safe in Emergencies, 2016, p. 9. Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies, Minimum Standards for Education: Preparedness, Response, Recovery, 2010, p. 2. Ibid., p. 3. 11