The United Nations Security Council met on 16 June to discuss Children and Armed Conflict and “debated” the UN Secretary-General’s ninth report published on 13 April. What’s to debate? Children involvement in armed conflict is wrong, and unfortunately the tragedy is, the abuse of the children is not limited to the recruitment of child volunteers. Children are abducted and forced into the equivalent of military service. They are also killed, maimed, raped and victimize sexually. If you had no knowledge such existed it might be due to this topic being regulated to the occasional piece. Frankly, I see it as a topic which the media covers irregularly, and isn’t near as entertaining as the salacious picadillos of so-called celebrities.
The fact that children are being dragooned into armed conflict turns my stomach, and if knowledge that it exists doesn’t give you a gut-wrench reaction, please comment and help me and others understand.
Included below is a CNN piece on the child soldiers of Central Africa.
The Secretary-General’s ninth report on this topic covers the period January-December 2009. The report is broken into sectons. There is a section on all the measures undertaken to end violations and abuses against children in armed conflict. Another on the implementation and monitring mechansims of the UN, and a third providing information on the “grave violations committed against children, in particular recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming of children, rap and other sexual violance against children, abductions of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access to children by parties to armed conflict in contravention to applicable law.” (If you only read one portion of the report – read this section.) And the last two sections provide the criteria used by the UN to list or delist offenders and the UN’s recommendations.
On June 2, 2010 the Security Council issued its “2010 Cross Cutting Report on Children and Armed Conflict.” This report examines the adoption of UN resolution 1882. [In August 2009, the UN Security Council passed resoultion 1882 which was but one in a long line of resolutions designed to contribute to the framework addressing the protection of children affected by armed conflict.] I will let you decide for yourself after reading the three pieces you think the UN has addressed the issue sufficiently.
If you’ve an opinion, I urge you to contact the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and address your thoughts to The Special Representative herself, Radhika Coomaraswamy.
Mail: United Nations S-3161, New York, NY 10017
Tel: +1 212-963-3178
Fax: +1 212-963-0807
She has a comprehensive website worthy of review.
I also urge you to take a stand, regardless of nationality, involve yourself in one of the many organizations making up the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. There really is no option, we need to protect the children of the world, if not us then who?
I thank you for your time,
Christopher
Links:
Veritate et Virtute- Trafficking in persons report from the US Department of State
UN Resolution 1882 (2009): Addressing the protection of children affected by armed conflict (pdf 5 pages)
UN Security Council Report: Cross-Cutting Report on Children and Armed Conflict (pdf 31 pages)
UN Secretary-General’s 2010 Report: Children and Armed Conflict (pdf 51 pages)
Office of the Special Representative to the UN for Children an Armed conflict (website)
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers (website)
I excerpt the Annexes from the report which list the parties that recruit or use children, kill or maim children and/or commit rape and other forms of sexual violence against children in situations of armed conflict:
Afghanistan
1. Afghan National Police*
2. Haqqani network*
3. Hezb-i-Islami*
4. Jamat Sunat al-Dawa Salafia*
5. Taliban forces*
6. Tora Bora Front*
Central African Republic
1. Armée populaire pour la restauration de la République et de la démocratie (APRD)*
2. Convention des patriotes pour la justice et la paix (CPJP)*
3. Union des forces démocratiques pour le rassemblement (UFDR)*
4. Forces démocratiques populaires de Centrafrique (FDPC)*
5. Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)*‡
6. Mouvement des libérateurs centrafricains pour la justice (MLCJ)*
7. Self-defence militias supported by the Government of the Central African Republic*
Chad
1. Armée nationale tchadienne*
2. Justice and Equality Movement (Sudanese armed groups backed by the Government of Chad)*
Democratic Republic of the Congo
1. Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC), including fast-track integrated units of the Congrès national pour la défense du peuple (CNDP), formerly led by Laurent Nkunda and currently led by Bosco Ntaganda*‡
2. Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR)*‡
3. Forces de résistance patriotique en Ituri (FRPI)*‡
4. Front nationaliste et intégrationnaliste (FNI)*‡
5. Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)*‡
6. Mai-Mai groups in North and South Kivu, including Patriotes résistants congolais (PARECO)*‡
Iraq
1. Al-Qaida in Iraq*
Myanmar
1. Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)*
2. Karen National Union-Karen National Liberation Army Peace Council*
3. Kachin Independence Army (KIA)*
4. Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)*: this party has sought to conclude an action plan with the United Nations in line with Security Council resolutions 1539 (2004) and 1612 (2005), but the United Nations has been prevented from doing so by the Government of Myanmar
5. Karenni Army (KA)*: this party has sought to conclude an action plan with the United Nations in line with Security Council resolutions 1539 (2004) and 1612(2005), but the United Nations has been prevented from doing so by the Government of Myanmar
6. Karenni National People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF)*
7. Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army*
8. Shan State Army-South (SSA-S)*
9. Tatmadaw Kyi*
10. United Wa State Army (UWSA)*
Nepal
Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M)*
Somalia
1. Al-Shabaab*†
2. Hizbul Islam*
3. Transitional Federal Government (TFG)*†
Sudan
Southern Sudan
1. Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA)*
2. Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)*†‡
Darfur
1. Chadian opposition groups*
2. Police forces, including the Central Reserve Police and Border Intelligence Forces*
3. Pro-Government militias*
4. Sudan Armed Forces (SAF)*
5. Parties signatories to the Darfur Peace Agreement:
(a) Justice and Equality Movement (Peace Wing)*
(b) Movement of Popular Force for Rights and Democracy*
(c) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Abu Gasim/Mother Wing*
(d) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Free Will*
(e) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Minni Minnawi*
(f) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Peace Wing*
6. Parties not signatories to the Darfur Peace Agreement:
(a) Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)*
(b) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Abdul Wahid*
(c) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Unity*
* Parties that recruit and use children.
† Parties that kill and maim children.
‡ Parties that commit rape and other forms of sexual violence against children