MP Roger Mullin will lead a special debate in Westminster on Tuesday about the rise in the number of child suicide bombings by terror groups.

He said reports from UNICEF and Action on Armed Violence stated that the so-called Islamic State and Nigerian terrorist group Boko Harem were using children as young as seven to blow up civilian targets.

Mr Mullin, the SNP MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, said: "This is a debate I really wish we didn’t have to have. These vulnerable children are victims themselves, and deserve all we can do to protect them.

“There is a great deal of evil in this world, and it is our job as politicians to ensure that we have the most robust policies in place to protect the innocent and the vulnerable.

"I am most grateful to the Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother was tragically killed in the 2002 Bali bombing, for his concern and commitment to respond at the debate.”

He added that, compared to last year, 2015 has already seen a 45 per cent increase in casualties caused by suicide bombers.  

Mr Mullin is chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Explosive Weapons which examines the humanitarian impact of the use of weapons such as landmines and IEDs.  

After the Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday, he will host a meeting in parliament of mine-action, counter IED and related organisations to discuss forthcoming inquiries by the APPG.

The APPG on Explosive Weapons will be publishing its findings in 2016 in partnership with the Counter IED report.