Topic A: Child Soldiers

Human Rights Council

By: Cody Wilson

Introduction

It is estimated that there are approximately 250,000 child soldiers in the world today.[1]Child soldiers can be taken from their families and homes from as young as the age of seven. Some children are even forced to commit crimes against their religion or even family when taken, this is to assure they will not be able to return. Female child soldiers are often forced into sexual slavery for the male child soldiers. An estimated 40 percent of the hundreds of thousands of child soldiers scattered across the world’s conflicts today are thought to be female.[2] UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, is one of the United Nations top supporting groups involving the topic, however they are mostly only able to provide emergency funding and aid.In an article, UNICEF stated recent developments in warfare have significantly heightened the dangers for children. During the last decade, it is estimated (and these figures, while specific, are necessarily orders of magnitude) that child victims have included: 2 million killed; 4-5 million disabled; 12 million left homeless; more than 1 million orphaned or separated from their parents; and some 10 million psychologically traumatized.[3] This council will discuss child soldiers, but not the wars they are fighting in. This council aims to seek a plausible solution to the multifaceted issue that is child soldiers through debate.

Background Information

The definition of child soldiers are children under the age of 18 who are recruited by armed groups who use them as cooks, suicide bombers, fighters, spies, messengers, and even in some countries as human shields. In 2000, the United Nations adopted an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The protocol prohibits the forced recruitment of children under the age of 18 or their use in hostilities. To date, it has been ratified by more than 110 countries. [4] Since 1998, over 100,000 child soldiers have been released from armed groups and reintroduced into their communities. UNICEF has had a major role in this process all across the globe. Not all child soldiers are taken as some join in desperation. “Human rights law declares 18 as the minimum legal age for recruitment and use of children in hostilities. Recruiting and using children under the age of 15 as soldiers, is prohibited under international humanitarian law – treaty and custom – and is defined as a war crime by the International Criminal Court. Parties in conflict that recruit and use children are listed by the Secretary General in the annexes of his annual report on children and armed conflict.”[5]

As seen in the graph from the year, 2000 above 35% of people taken by force by soldiers in Africa are below the age of 19 years old, and mostly evenly distributed between male and female in this age group.

Not all children taken by these armed forces are forced to fight in conflicts, although many are. Some of the worst jobs that child soldiers are assigned to are fighting in combat, suicide bombers, sexual slaves, and running across mine fields to clear them for the adult soldiers. These children are taken from their family and home to either die or live out their lives forever mentally terrified. The ILO (International Labor Organization) Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor prohibits the forced or compulsory recruitment of children under the age of 18 for use in armed conflict. It has been ratified by over 150 countries.[6] Even though 150 countries have ratified the (WORD) the few countries where it has not been outlawed have the worst of it, these are Columbia, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Somalia, some parts of Israel and Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Thailand, and the Philippines.

While some of the countries stated previously are cutting down on child soldiers they are still present. Child recruits in the Sierra Leone civil war interviewed by Theresa Betancourt’s research team had been severely traumatized by their experiences: 70% had witnessed beatings or torture; 63% had witnessed violent death. 77% saw stabbings, chopping, and shootings close-up; 62% had been beaten by armed forces; 52% witnessed large-scale massacres; 39% had been regularly forced to take drugs such as marijuana and cocaine; 45% of girls and 5 percent of boys had been raped by their captors; 27% had killed or injured others during the war.[7] One of the main reasons that armed militias use children is that they are easier to manipulate and control. They also don’t eat as much as adults do, don’t get paid, and don’t have a good sense of danger so it is easy sending them out to the front of lines or having the children run through mine fields.

International Involvement

Child soldiers have been one of the major topics in many UN discussions. Resolution 1612, passed by the Security Council in 2005, “Strongly condemn[s] the recruitment and use of child soldiers by parties to armed conflict, the Security Council today requested the Secretary-General to implement without delay a monitoring and reporting mechanism on the issue.”[8] Another Security Council Resolution (Resolution 1314) adopted in 2000 with 15 votes with no abstains and no one voted against urges to consider establishing child protection units, including child protection staff in their peace and field operation, undertake initiatives to end cross-border activities harmful to children, allocate resources for the benefit to children during armed conflict, include a gender perspective into all child protection policies and programs, or region initiatives towards the full implementation of the prohibition of child soldiers. UN Security Council resolution 1261 was passed in 1999 and was the first resolution to address the problem of child soldiers. The resolution included: ensure the provision the humanitarian assistance to the civilian population and taking into account the needs of children, support the protection and resettlement of displaced children through the UNHCR and others, consider the impact on children when adopting measures under Article 41 of the United Nations Charter concerning sanctions, consider appropriate responses when buildings or sites used by children were targeted in armed conflict. United Nations Security Council resolution 1539 was passed in 2004 and was focused on child soldiers. The resolution condemned the use of child soldiers, killing of child soldiers, child trafficking of the soldiers, and rape of the female child soldiers. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 was adopted in 2000 and focused on women’s rights and the protection of female child soldiers. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1379 as adopted in 2001 and parties in armed conflict were called upon to: respect international instruments relating to children in armed conflict; protect and provide assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons; promote and protect the rights of girls in armed conflict; abide by commitments made to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; provide protection for children in peace agreements. Finally United Nations Security Council resolution 1460 was adopted in 2003 and focused on the protection of children in armed combat and urged parties using child soldiers to end the recruitment and use of children.

Conclusion

As strongly represented in the many resolutions passed by the United Nations the use of child soldiers is not acceptable in any armed conflict. It strips children from their home and family, and kills or disables most of the children put in these situations. Delegates will be expected to create a comprehensive resolution that will take into consideration of the children’s rights as human beings. Though, there have been many resolutions already passed, delegates should reach for a resolution that just doesn’t help the problem, but fix it entirely, without impeding on other country’s sovereignty.

Guided Questions

  1. What is your nation’s policy on child soldiers? How many child soldiers are in your nation?
  2. Has your nation used child soldiers in the past? Are they still using them?
  3. What measures can be taken to provide safety and rescue to child soldiers in your and other nations?
  4. How many your country aid child soldiers of other countries?
  5. What can your nation do to prevent the use of child soldiers in the future?
  6. What actions has your nation taken to resolve the use of child soldiers within your borders? Or what is your country currently doing?

[1]"Child Soldiers." Child Soldiers. WarChild, n.d. Web. <

[2]"Girl Child Soldiers Face New Battles in Civilian Life."IRIN. IRIN, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Aug. 2016. <

[3]"Children in War." Children in War. Unicef, n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2016. <

[4]"Facts About Child Soldiers."Human Rights Watch. N.p., 03 Dec. 2008. Web. 15 Aug. 2016. <

[5]"Child Recruitment and Use | United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict."United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral for Children and Armed Conflict. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2016. <

[6]"Facts About Child Soldiers." Human Rights Watch. ILO, 03 Dec. 2008. Web. 16 Aug. 2016. <

[7]"Life after Death: Helping Former Child Soldiers Become Whole Again." News. Harvard, n.d. Web. 16 Aug. 2016. <

[8]"Child Recruitment and Use | United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict." United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral for Children and Armed Conflict. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2016. <