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...

Mon

Oct

Girl Soldiers: Forgotten Casualties of War

Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 24/10/2016 - 17:33

As secretary of State, Hillary Clinton was visibly shaken by sexual crimes against women and girls when she visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2009. Sexual crimes in this central African country, known as the “rape capital of the world,” include the sexual exploitation of tens of thousands of girls abducted and trapped as child soldiers. Nonetheless, since 2010, President Obama has waived a congressionally mandated ban on military aid to countries known to exploit child soldiers, among them the DRC.

Mon

Oct

Canada: Child soldier survivor creates foundation for change in Sierra Leone

Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 24/10/2016 - 16:56

CBC News

Fazineh Keita trying to build a community centre to help prevent kids from facing the same reality he did.

At eight years old, kids are usually thinking about what mom is making for dinner and how long they can get away with playing video games.

Fazineh Keita's reality was much different growing up during the civil war in Sierra Leone.

Now living in Vancouver, Keita is reflecting on his past while trying to change the future for children in his native land.

His charity, Innocence Lost Foundation, aims to help provide resources and rehabilitation services to former child soldiers and give kids a chance to be kids.

UK: Under-18s in army 'face greater injury, death and mental health risks'

Submitted by antimili-youth on Tue, 18/10/2016 - 13:52

Amelia Hill, The Guardian

Public health charity uses damning report to call for minimum recruitment age to be raised to 18.

Recruiting children aged 16 and 17 into the British army places them at greater risk of death, injury and long-term mental health problems than those recruited as adults, according to a new report.

Sat

Oct

Webinar: Countering the militarisation of youth: examples of resistance

Thu

Oct

How much is child soldier's lost youth worth? ICC asks

Submitted by antimili-youth on Thu, 13/10/2016 - 09:27

AFP

The Hague - "How do you calculate a lost childhood?" That was the question on Tuesday before war crimes judges trying to set the amount of landmark reparations to be paid to former Congolese child soldiers.

After years of hearings, trials and appeals before the International Criminal Court (ICC), the victims of former Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga are "tired of this battle", said lawyer Luc Walleyn.

Read full article here.

This is an article by the AFP which appears on News24

Photo: Julien Harneis

Sat

Aug

Call for Articles: Examples of Youth Militarisation in Different Countries/Regions

Submitted by antimili-youth on Sat, 27/08/2016 - 12:22

War Resisters' International is organising the third International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth this year. The week is going to take place between November 14-20 with the participation of groups and individuals from different countries. See our call out here.

Alongside events and actions, this year we are also planning to share examples of youth militarisation, and resistance to it, from different countries via a series of articles. The articles will be published on our website www.antimili-youth.net. If you'd like to write to us about your country and/or community please contact us via cmoy@wri-irg.org.

Wed

Jun

Five countries where child soldiers are still recruited

Submitted by antimili-youth on Wed, 29/06/2016 - 15:07

By Jared Ferrie, Irin News

Colombia’s largest guerrilla group has agreed to release all of its soldiers under age 15. It is a move welcomed by child rights groups but it also highlights the continued use of child soldiers in conflicts around the world.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) made the pledge during talks in Cuba aimed at ending its five-decade war against successive governments. The administration of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC now need to decide upon the terms under which the child soldiers will be reintegrated into civilian life.

Thu

Jun

Poverty, Militarism and the Public Schools

Submitted by Gary on Thu, 23/06/2016 - 16:59

Why does the U.S. Army maintain a gamer website? It's for the sake of war, not for the good of children. (Image: U.S. Army)

by Robert C. Koehler

What’s the difference between education and obedience? If you see very little, you probably have no problem with the militarization of the American school system — or rather, the militarization of the impoverished schools . . . the ones that can’t afford new textbooks or functional plumbing, much less art supplies or band equipment.

The Pentagon has been eyeing these schools — broken and gang-ridden — for a decade now, and seeing its future there. It comes in like a cammy-clad Santa, bringing money and discipline. In return it gets young minds to shape, to (I fear) possess: to turn into the next generation of soldiers, available for the coming wars.

Sun

Jun

Hillary Clinton’s State Department Let South Sudan Use Child Soldiers

Submitted by Gary on Sun, 12/06/2016 - 04:05

Hillary Clinton as secretary of state in 2011. (United States Mission Geneva / CC BY-ND 2.0)

Hillary Clinton spent years vowing to defend the rights of children worldwide, but under her leadership the State Department played a central role in allowing rebel forces in southern Sudan to use child soldiers in defiance of a 2008 law forbidding it, reports Nick Turse at The Intercept.

The law is called the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, or CSPA, and after South Sudan’s independence, in 2011 the White House issued annual waivers that kept taxpayer dollars flowing its way despite its use of child soldiers.

Wed

Jun

A Call to Action: International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth

Submitted by antimili-youth on Wed, 08/06/2016 - 10:58

Would you like to take action against the militarisation of youth with many others across the world?

You can join War Resisters' International's week of action, which will be held between 14-20 November for the third time this year. You can join as an individual or as a group.

War Resisters' International is organising the 3rd International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth from 14 to 20 November this year. The week is a concerted effort of antimilitarist actions across the world to raise awareness of, and challenge, the ways young people are militarised, and to give voice to alternatives.

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Languages

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.