The UN Security Council urges Member States to act vigorously to end impunity for those who violate children’s rights by recruiting them to become child soldiers. The agency also reiterated its condemnation of the employment of children in war by combatant sides, as well as violence and sexual abuse of children who are victims in armed conflicts.
Recruitment of children in armed movement is still on the rise. In Congo, for example, there is a reported ‘surge in recruitment of under-18 soldiers by warring factions.’ Teenagers are ‘snatched from their homes by armed men who force them to carry ammunition, fight and kill, and beaten if they refuse.’ Former Ugandan child soldier Grace Akallo was kidnapped in 1996 by guerrillas of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) from the high school that she was attending.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed to all governments and armed groups to put the safety of minors in utmost consideration in situations of armed conflict. “We must get the message to the world that those who commit heinous crimes against children in conflict situations must face justice,” he said.
In the recent UN annual report on child soldiers, there are 56 identified groups, including governments and armed groups, that recruit children and commit other serious violations of human rights. Of these, 19 are ‘persistent violators’ for being on the list for over four years.
The final report of the Secretary-General cites 20 armed conflicts whose combatants do not respect the rights of children. These conflicts are taking place in Afghanistan, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Iraq Lebanon, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Thailand.
