23 July 2007 - CRIN Children and Armed Conflict 110
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- UN SECURITY COUNCIL: Recommendations issued on situation of children in Somalia and Uganda [news]
- IRAQ: Child rights network launched [news]
- NORTHERN UGANDA: Listening to Youth - the experiences of young people [publication]
- CHAD: Early to War: Child soldiers in the Chad conflict [publication]
- LEBANON: War-affected children still at risk one year on [news]
**NEWS IN BRIEF**
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UN SECURITY COUNCIL: Recommendations issued on situation of children in Somalia and Uganda [news]
[NEW YORK, 20 July 2007] – The Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict adopted recommendations this month on the situation of children affected by armed conflict in Somalia and in Uganda and examined reports by the UN Secretary-General on the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad.
Ms. Coomaraswamy, UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, welcomed the recommendations, saying they sent "a strong message to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda for unconditional release of the children in their ranks. The LRA has ignored repeated calls from the international community for too long and we hope that they will now immediately undertake actions for the sake of these children.”
The recommendations urged all parties to the conflict in Somalia to stop recruiting and using children, and to take all the necessary measures to demobilise them without delay. The Security Council Working Group called on the government to ensure better protection of children.
In his report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Secretary-General recognises the significant progress made by the Congolese Government to address serious violations against children, but expresses concern about the impunity for crimes against them, in particular in Ituri Province and the Kivus.
Ms. Coomaraswamy added: “Children continue to be recruited and subjected to sexual violence. Those who commit grave violations against the civilian population in open defiance of the national and international authorities must be held accountable. Rebel Commander Laurent Nkunda, Commander Kyungu Matanga and Capitain Biyoyo should be brought to justice.”
The Secretary-General’s report on the situation in Chad highlights the grave violations against children in the unfolding humanitarian crisis. Children are recruited from refugee camps by all factions, they are killed and maimed by landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs) and are also subjected to sexual violence. Ms. Coomaraswamy stated that the security vacuum and the general climate of violence pose considerable challenges and dangers to humanitarian actors. In his report, the Secretary-General appeals to the international community to intervene effectively to protect the civilian population.
The Working Group was established pursuant to Resolution 1612 (2005) in order to promote the protection of children in armed conflict through a monitoring and reporting mechanism, as well as to make appropriate recommendations to the UN system including to the Security Council.
Further information
For more information, contact:
Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict
United Nations
Room S-3161, New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: +1 212 963 3178 ; Fax: +1 212 963 0807
Website: www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=14098
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IRAQ: Child rights network launched [news]
[12 July 2007] - A revolutionary network has been set up to address child rights in Iraq.
The Iraqi Child Rights Network held its inaugural general meeting in Sulaimanyah from 17-19 June 2007. The organisation formally announced its establishment at the meeting.
A group of Iraqi non-government organisations, along with child and human rights activists, recognised that Iraqi Children are being deprived of those rights enshrined by UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), ratified by the Government of Iraq on 15 June 1994.
The group has spent considerable time developing through meetings and training workshops held both inside and outside Iraq.
The network focuses on defending child rights. Its aim is to create a peaceful, stable, secure and healthy environment for childhood where children can enjoy all rights enshrined in the UNCRC and benefit from full implementation of Iraqi legislation.
At the meeting to launch the Network, key documents such as byelaws, codes of conduct and a child protection policy were approved.
Discussions were held about children's issues and violations of child rights in Iraq. An annual plan of action to address these issues was agreed upon.
Elections, through public nomination and secret ballot, were held to appoint a Network general coordinator and other positions.
The Network is requesting all Iraqis, individuals, associations, and organisations to respect and defend Iraqi children’s rights, both inside and outside of Iraq.
The Network calls on Iraqi lawmakers to develop new legislation based on the UNCRC and reform all other legislation with a view to the best interests of children. It calls on the Iraqi Government ministries to activate and abide by laws effecting children and use all possible means to protect children and prevent violations of their rights.
The Network calls on all child rights and human rights agencies, international and local NGOs, associations and rights activists to join or support the Network in order to help achieve its objectives.
Finally, the Network thanks all those who have contributed through their efforts to support its establishment.
Iraq Child Rights Network
Al-Sulaimanyah, Iraq.
General coordinator: Nazim Ahmed Ali
Further information
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=14008&flag=news
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NORTHERN UGANDA: Listening to Youth - the experiences of young people [publication]
The purpose of this study, which is a contribution to the Machel 10 year Strategic Review, was to gather the insights of young people living in northern Uganda, a region that has been mired in conflict for more than 20 years. Young people in northern Uganda have been the group most deeply affected by the conflict between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda, a struggle that has been characterised by a brutal civil war and a protracted humanitarian crisis.
Thousands of young people have seen their communities attacked and destroyed, have lost parents and relatives to violence and disease and have been separated from their families and displaced from their homes. Thousands of young men and women have been abducted by the LRA and forced to participate in violence, or serve as porters, cooks and sex slaves, resulting in many young women becoming mothers at a young age.
Despite these and countless other challenges, young people have been a source of resilience in their communities, supporting their families and working to restore social cohesion and development in their communities. As Uganda moves forward in an uncertain peace process and faces the challenges of rebuilding, young people will continue to play a key role in shaping their country’s future. As the international community strives to better understand, support and uphold the rights of youth affected by armed conflict, young people’s own voices, opinions, perspectives and recommendations are a necessary and critical resource.
This study, undertaken by a research team from the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children (Women’s Commission) and supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), contributes to the 10 year Strategic Review of the “Machel Study” on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, initiated by the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG/CAAC) and UNICEF in November 2006. The research provides a vehicle for young people to voice their opinions and ideas with respect to the five themes of the Machel Study 10 year Strategic Review:
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consequences of the conflict;
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coping strategies;
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participation in decision-making;
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peace and reconciliation; and
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recommendations for the local, national and international community.
This study also contributes to the Women’s Commission’s ongoing advocacy to increase attention and support for youth in northern Uganda. It includes a follow-up examination the Women’s Commission’s 2001 participatory research study with 54 adolescent researchers in Kitgum, Gulu and Pader, which culminated with the report, Against All Odds: Surviving the War on Adolescents. After the 2001 study, the Women’s Commission continued to partner with four youth groups in the region, three of which formed as a direct result of the participatory research. Several members of those youth groups supported and participated in this current initiative. This study provides an opportunity to learn more about the long-term impact of participatory research as a method for engaging young people in research, organisation and decision-making.
Further information
For more information, contact:
Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children
122 East 42nd Street, 12th Floor, New York NY 10168 - 1289, USA
Tel: + 1 212 551 3140; Fax: + 1 212 551 3107
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.womenscommission.org
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=14017
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CHAD: Early to War: Child soldiers in the Chad conflict [publication]
[NEW YORK, 16 July 2007] – The Chadian army and its allied paramilitary forces are keeping thousands of child soldiers out of demobilisation efforts, despite the government’s promises to release underage fighters from military service, Human Rights Watch say in a new report.
In May, the Chadian government pledged to cooperate with UNICEF in identifying and demobilising child soldiers in the ranks of its military. Since then, several hundred children, some as young as eight years old, have been released from a military base in central Chad.
But none belonged to the national army; all came from a government-aligned paramilitary group. UNICEF’s requests to visit two other bases, both in conflict zones in eastern Chad, have not been granted by Chadian government officials.
“The Chadian government is failing on its promise to remove children from its armed forces,” said Peter Takirambudde, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The Security Council should demand that the Chadian government and its allied forces end child recruitment and release children from their ranks.”
Report findings
The 46-page report, “Early to War: Child Soldiers in the Chad Conflict,” documents how the Chadian army, its allied paramilitary militias and rebel forces have used and recruited child soldiers in both northern Chad and along the eastern border with Sudan’s Darfur region. The report is based on interviews with senior officers in the Chadian military as well as current child soldiers themselves.
Since December 2005, the Chadian National Army (Armée Nationale Tchadienne, or ANT) has fought against Sudanese-backed Chadian rebel groups seeking to unseat President Idriss Déby.
When battles raged in northern and eastern Chad in the autumn of 2006, both the government and rebel forces increasingly turned to the recruitment of children, who continue to serve as fighters, guards, cooks and lookouts on the frontlines of the conflict. In recent months, as pro-government forces have gained the upper hand, the government has engaged in peace negotiations with the rebels.
A former rebel group that recruited and used child soldiers, the Front Uni pour le Changement (United Front for Change, FUC), signed a December peace agreement with the government, which is now integrating FUC forces into the national army.
However, after the FUC agreed to contribute many more soldiers to the army than it had under arms, it conducted aggressive recruitment drives that brought many children into its ranks.
Children 'hidden'
Despite the Chadian government’s promises to demobilise child soldiers, Human Rights Watch interviews with army commanders indicate that military personnel would attempt to exclude children from the demobilisation process.
“Some of the child soldiers will be demobilised, but most will be hidden,” a senior Chadian army officer told Human Rights Watch. “They will be stationed on the frontlines and other places that are off-limits.”
Notably, none of the 413 children demobilised from Chadian government military installations since May have been from the national army. All of them were former FUC fighters who had been integrated into government forces.
“The Chadian government needs to release children from all corners of the military, not just the ranks of its former enemies,” said Takirambudde.
Since January 2006, Human Rights Watch researchers have observed the use of child soldiers by the army and pro-government forces, including integrated ex-rebel forces (namely the FUC), village-level self-defense forces and two Sudanese rebel movements. Each of these groups has forces deployed all along the Chad-Sudan border.
The UN Security Council has proposed a civilian-protection mission for deployment to eastern Chad, but this has met persistent opposition from Chadian government officials.
“The insecurity in eastern Chad leaves children vulnerable to recruitment as soldiers,” said Takirambudde. “An international mission is needed to protect civilians and end this insecurity.”
Both the Chadian government and the government-affiliated FUC are in violation of international law, which prohibits the use of children under the age of 18 in armed conflict. In addition, the recruitment or use of children under the age of 15 is considered a war crime.
Further information
For more information, contact:
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor, New York, NY 10118-3299, USA
Tel: + 1 212 216 1837; Fax: + 1 212 736 1300
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.hrw.org
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=14034
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LEBANON: War-affected children still at risk one year on [news]
[16 July 2007] - NGOs say children in Lebanon are still at risk a year after hundreds were killed or injured and thousands more displaced following fighting between Israel and Hizbullah.
Children bore the brunt of the July War, which left 1,191 dead, 4,409 injured and over 974,000 displaced in Lebanon. Homes, schools and hospitals were destroyed.
Up to 40 per cent of those killed in Lebanon were children; over 400,000 were displaced. Children returning to their ruined homes and communities faced an uncertain future and new dangers.
“The end of fighting did not mean the end of suffering for children,” said Mat Cousins, head of Save the Children UK in Lebanon. “Stress and trauma continued to take their toll, with children suffering bad dreams, bed-wetting and fears for their families’ future.”
Walaa, 11, was shocked when the cleaner at his school in Saida was killed. “He didn’t deserve to die. When I heard he was killed, it made me afraid for my family,” he said.
Children also risk death and injury from unexploded ordnance, especially in the south. According to Lebanese officials Israel is believed to have dropped over one million cluster bombs on Lebanon, often attractively shaped and brightly coloured like toys.
Mine awareness campaign
At least six children have been killed and around 70 injured in explosions caused by such ordnance since the war ended. To address this continuing threat to children’s lives, NGOs have worked with the National De-mining Office and other official bodies to produce mine risk awareness ads for television, airing later this month.
NGOs have been striving to help rebuild the lives of vulnerable children in Lebanon regardless of sex, religion, nationality or status.
Nearly 13,000 children benefited from the creation of safe spaces where they could play in a secure and supported environment in the months following the outbreak of war. Parents, teachers and volunteers were advised and trained to identify children suffering from stress and to help them cope with their trauma.
“The sooner children return to a sense of normality, the sooner they recover from the trauma of conflict. That’s why child-focused activities, such as playing as a group in safe play areas or going to nursery or school, are so important,” said Sanna Johnson, head of Save the Children Sweden’s Middle East programme.
Over the past year, Save the Children Sweden and its local NGO partner Developmental Action without Border (NABAA) have continued to carry out activities in the safe spaces to alleviate children’s stress, offering them psychological support, and educating them on issues such as the dangers of cluster bombs and mines. Similarly, Save the Children UK today continues to support local partners providing stress-relieving activities for vulnerable children.
Following the July War, Save the Children Sweden and Save the Children UK also provided health and hygiene support for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and other vulnerable people, by assisting six village clinics and three satellite clinics in the south. This enabled them to offer free health care for six months, which benefited more than 30,000 people.
Further information
For more information, contact:
Save the Children Sweden - Regional Office for the Middle East,
PO Box 113-7167, Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: + 9611 738654 5; Fax: + 9611 739023
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.scsmena.org
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=14032
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**NEWS IN BRIEF**
INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION: Report on the situation of children in armed conflict in Colombia: Their rights in the context of negotiations between the government and paramilitary groups (Coalición Colombia and the Center for Justice and International Law - CEJIL, July 2007).
This report is in Spanish, an English summary will be available shortly
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=14012&flag=report
COLOMBIA: Young people displaced by conflict demand their rights in the Constitutional Court (Agência de Notícias dos Direitos da Infância, July 2007)
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=13939&flag=news
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