Children in War: "Another Tragic Year"
According to a new report by the United Nations (UN), there has been
some progress on efforts to end the recruitment of children into armed
forces, but not near enough.
The UN chief on Friday released his annual report on the situation of
Children and Armed Conflict, which details the triumphs and challenges
for children in armed conflict made over the last year.
"2010 proved another tragic year for children in conflicts all over
the world," said Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN Secretary-General's
Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.
"Progress in protecting children has been made in Afghanistan, the
Philippines, Sudan and Somalia. The UN is heartened by the fact that
more armed groups are entering to action plans with the UN to release
child soldiers from their ranks".
In Afghanistan, one example of recent progress includes the Afghan
government's agreement to release all children serving in the Afghan
National Security Forces. Government staff are also being trained on how
to verify the ages of new recruits to prevent underage recruitment.
But, it is clear that despite these gains, children still remain
vulnerable. Critical sites such as hospitals and schools must be
demilitarised, as they are currently targets for violent attacks.
Schools also sometimes serve as recruiting sites for child soldiers.
As Coomaraswamy states, "these should be zones of peace."Other
countries face similar challenges. Attacks against schools and hospitals
are referenced in 15 of the 22 countries where abuses against children
are reported to occur during armed conflict. Vital infrastructure is
destroyed and children, teachers and school staff are subject to threats
and physical attacks. The targeting of girls in particular can be a
deterrent in parents' decisions to send their children to school,
placing the education of the girl-child in serious jeopardy.
In Sudan alone, there are more than a dozen armed groups reported to
recruit child soldiers or kill, maim, and commit sexual violence against
children during violent conflict.
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