HUMAN RIGHTS | Defending human dignity
Regional Profiles
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africa
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Africa
Some 100,000 children have been coerced into military service in African countries. Among the parties named by the U.N. secretary-general in his 2008 report Children and Armed Conflict as having recently recruited child soldiers are: Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Southern Sudan, Darfur, Chad and Uganda.
Although years of war have weakened the judicial systems in many African countries, the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report says a small number of rebel leaders have or will be held accountable for unlawfully conscripting children. These include Kanyanga Biyoyo, commander of the rebel army Mundundu-40, who was sentenced by a Congolese court to five years in prison.
Related article: Programs Help Child Soldiers Return Home
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the-americas
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The Americas
In Colombia, as many as 14,000 boys and girls are believed to have been used as child soldiers by armed opposition groups and army-backed paramilitaries, according to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers.
The U.N. secretary-general, in his 2008 report on Children and Armed Conflict, listed the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) as the primary parties that recruit child soldiers.
Related article: Former Child Combatant Gets a Fresh Start in Colombia
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asia
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Asia
Although numbers are hard to document, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers believes that Sri Lanka and Burma continue to use thousands – possibly tens of thousands – of young children as child soldiers. The United Nations believes at least nine factions recruit child soldiers in Burma and two in Sri Lanka.
In Nepal, the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) recruits child soldiers, according to the United Nations.
In the Philippines, children are recruited as soldiers by the Abu Sayyaf Group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the New People’s Army.
The Coalition estimates that some 8,000 children are used as soldiers in Afghanistan by Taliban Forces.
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middle-east
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Middle East
Child soldiers fight in Iran, Iraq and the occupied Palestinian Territories, according to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers.
The coalition reports that at least nine Palestinian children carried out suicide bombings against Israeli soldiers and civilians between October 2000 and March 2004. At least 30 Palestinian children died while involved in organized military action by Palestinian armed political groups during the same period, according to the Coalition.
The U.N. secretary-general, in his 2008 report Children and Armed Conflict, noted that al-Qaida groups appear to be recruiting children for suicide bombings in Iraq.
Related article: Videos Show al-Qaida in Iraq Recruiting Children for Terrorism
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africa
In Depth
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Former Child Soldier a Beacon of Hope
“I believe children have the resilience to outlive their sufferings, if given a chance.”
Ishmael Beah, from his book, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Former child combatants, with proper guidance, can live normal, productive lives, says Ishmael Beah. A former child soldier himself, Beah is living proof that the psychological scars from wartime atrocities need not be crippling.
Feature Article
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Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Eleanor Roosevelt believed human rights begin in “small places” – among individuals, families, communities. But she fought for adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which aims to protect people all over the globe.