A/60/358 members of State security bodies. These internal armed conflicts also threaten the coexistence of diverse ethnic and cultural groups in the countries in which they occur. 58. Since the early 1980s, these concerns have been brought to the attention of the United Nations by indigenous representatives and non-governmental organizations, and they are reflected in many official documents of the United Nations and of its mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights. Indigenous peoples are among the most vulnerable victims of conflicts and violence in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and this has added a burden of destruction and death to their already difficult struggles. Their lands and resources have been stolen, their cultures ravaged and their human rights denied. 59. The infringement of indigenous populations’ human rights within the context of internal conflicts deserves the special attention of the General Assembly, since it threatens the survival of these peoples and endangers the lives not only of individuals but also of their communities, as well as the ethnic and cultural diversity of the countries concerned. 60. Many of today’s armed conflicts are taking place on indigenous territories. Most conflicts on lands inhabited by indigenous peoples are related to the control of natural resources such as wood, minerals or oil or of areas considered “strategic” by either or both parties to the conflict. Such conflicts are often unacknowledged by the countries in which they are occurring and by the international community. Many have persisted for long periods of time and have become self-perpetuating. 61. As a result of such conflicts, indigenous peoples endure grave violations of their human rights, including threats, forced disappearances, the targeted assassination of their leaders, torture, massacres, forced recruitment for combat, forced displacement, the exile of entire communities, loss of internal autonomy and social control and lack of access to places where they can engage in traditional activities such as hunting and fishing, subsistence agriculture and trade. Territories in conflict are usually sown with anti-personnel mines. 62. Indigenous women and children suffer even more from these daily tragedies because of their gender or their status as children. Indigenous women endure constant discrimination, exclusion and exploitation. The warring parties habitually use the rape of women as a weapon of war, so as to humiliate and terrorize the population. 63. The United Nations has made encouraging progress on the protection of children affected by armed conflict, but the lack of progress at the national level is disturbing. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the adoption of Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) of 26 July 2005, concerning the establishment of a monitoring and reporting mechanism on the recruitment and use of child soldiers and on other abuses committed against children affected by armed conflict, especially since this issue is of particular importance for many indigenous communities. 64. This monitoring mechanism must be adapted to the specific situation of indigenous children in this unfortunate situation. In view of the testimony he gathered during his tour of several of Colombia’s departments, the Special Rapporteur wishes to reiterate his warning about the serious impact of the internal armed conflict on indigenous communities, and especially on indigenous children. 15