child soldiers

Mon

Feb

2016

FARC announced they will no longer recruit under 18s

New translation available

Submitted by hannah

ElPais.com.co

On Wednesday the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas...

Tue

Sep

UN condemns recruitment of child soldiers and attacks on schools or hospitals

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 02/09/2014 - 11:27

7 March: By Peter James Spielmann

The Security Council on Friday condemned the recruitment of child soldiers into military forces, guerrilla movements and Islamic militias around the world and demanded an end to attacks on schools and hospitals in conflict zones.

The council unanimously approved a resolution with those demands after hearing testimony from a former child soldier from Sierra Leone, which became notorious for guerrilla groups that amputated the limbs, ears and lips of civilians to leave them as living emblems of fear.

In 2001, when he was 14, Alhaji Babah Sawaneh became the first ex-child soldier to speak before the council, and he spoke again Friday as a campaigner against the practice.

He told the council that he was "one of the children that were forcefully abducted and conscripted into an armed group at the age of 10."

Thu

Aug

With conflict raging in South Sudan, recruitment of children into armed groups is on the rise

Submitted by hannah on Thu, 28/08/2014 - 17:53

Photo: Eye Steel Film

5 May 2014: UNICEF has received credible reports an estimated 9,000 children have been recruited into armed forces and groups by both sides in the conflict in South Sudan.

These reports are based on observations of children with armed groups, children wearing military uniforms and carrying weapons, and children undergoing military training. Under both international and South Sudanese law, the forcible or voluntary recruitment of persons under the age of 18, whether as a member of a regular army or of an informal militia, is prohibited.

Fri

Aug

Child Soldiers: Learning from Kony2012?

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 08/08/2014 - 22:33

The issue of child soldiers is back on the global agenda, thanks to two major recent developments. In March, Thomas Lubanga became the first person to be convicted by the International Criminal Court. He was found guilty of forcibly recruiting child soldiers to his Union of Congolese Patriots, known as 'the army of children'. The second, most visible development, was the massive popularity growth of web-based film KONY2012. It aims to raise awareness of the activities of Joseph Kony, the Ugandan warlord who leads the Lord's Resistance Army, calling for the US military to intervene to bring him to justice. Kony and the LRA are known for their brutality and use of child soldiers. Invisible Children's initiative went viral to become an Internet phenomenon. It amassed over 30 million views in 48 hours, at a rate of up to 1 million per hour, mostly in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Tue

Aug

"Maybe We Live and Maybe We Die": Recruitment and Use of Children by Armed Groups in Syria

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 05/08/2014 - 12:10

From Human Rights Watch

The 31-page report documents the experiences of 25 children and former child soldiers in Syria’s armed conflict. Human Rights Watch interviewed children who fought with the Free Syrian Army, the Islamic Front coalition, and the extremist groups ISIS and Jabaht al-Nusra, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, as well as the military and police forces in Kurdish-controlled areas. The report does not, for logistical and security reasons, cover all armed groups that allegedly have used children in Syria, in particular pro-government militias. Using children in armed conflict violates international law.

Read the full report: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2014/06/23/maybe-we-live-and-maybe-we-die-0

Mon

Jun

Webinar: Militarisation of youth and child soldiers

Submitted by hannah on Mon, 02/06/2014 - 16:06

Dereje Wordofa presents the trend of "militarisation of youth and child soldiers" in Africa, despite the international instruments for human rights.

Dereje Wordofa is Regional Director for Africa at the American Friends Service Committee. He is committed to lasting peace, sustainable development and social justice.

https://vimeo.com/96791815

Webinar: Militarisation of youth and child soldiers

Fri

Feb

Myanmar frees 96 child soldiers from armed forces, but children are still in the military

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 28/02/2014 - 00:00

Photo: Catholic.org

Myanmar's army has freed 96 children and young people from its armed forces, the United Nations has said. This was the largest single release of child recruits in Myanmar since the country's government entered into an agreement with the UN in 2012 on the issue. The army has released a total of 272 children and youth over the past 18 months, but has not completely stopped its use of children. According to Al Jazeera, no record of verifiable figures exists to prove how many children currently serve in Myanmar's military.

Children in Myanmar have been widely used in armed conflict by both state armed forces and non-state armed groups.

Tue

Aug

Army in Myanmar still recruiting children

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 13/08/2013 - 00:00

Photo: Democratic Voice of Burma

Research from Child Soldiers International suggests that the Burmese military is still recruiting children, one year after the Myanmar government made a commitment to the United Nations to stop doing so. Whilst they did release 66 children from the military last month, many more remain. The Tatmadaw (the Myanmar Armed Forces) has continued to recruit since it signed the Joint Action Plan with the UN last year, although in lower numbers than those previously reported.

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Countering Military Recruitment

WRI's new booklet, Countering Military Recruitment: Learning the lessons of counter-recruitment campaigns internationally, is out now. The booklet includes examples of campaigning against youth militarisation across different countries with the contribution of grassroot activists.

You can order a paperback version here.