Children,Not Soldiers

By K.M.

Each year, war destroys the lives of millions of children and their families throughout the world.Conflicts deprives children of parents, basic social services, health care and education. 

Children are displaced and many of them are trafficked and held as hostage. They are robbed of their childhood and exposed to terrible dangers and to psychological suffering. 

They are also recruited into government armed forces, paramilitaries, civilian military and different other armed groups. Children continue to be recruited, not only as soldiers but as guards, cooks, spies and messengers. Many girls are forced into marriage or used as sex slaves. 

There are estimated to be at least 300.000 child soldiers participating in armed conflicts. Girls and boys illegally and under force ,participate in combat where frequently they are injured or killed. Millions of them died in last decade. 

The promotion and protection of the rights of all children is a priority concern of the EU and its Member States. The EU supports the work of the UN Secretary General,the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict,UNICEF,UNHC,OSCE…etc! 

EU is particularly concerned by ISIS’s brutal killings of civilians, including children in Syria and in Iraq. Children continue to be the most affected by the armed conflict in Syria, while over 10.000 children have been killed so far and many more injured.

The EU and UNICEF, are currently implementing an education program in the Central African Republic ,for temporary care and training of 1000 children, who are connected to armed groups.

“Our moral obligation is to make sure that these children, including child soldiers, belong in schools and not on the battlefield or serve armed groups. This is why the European Parliament supports wholeheartedly the “Children, Not Soldiers” campaign, and this is why we will keep pushing for children’s rights to be even higher in the EU foreign policy agenda”, said Elena Valenciano Martinez-Orozco, Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights during a special hearing held jointly with the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the European Parliament

The campaign “Children, Not Soldiers” is effort of UNICEF and the Special Representative of the Secretary General for children in armed conflict to end the recruitment and use children by government forces in conflict by the end of 2016

“It is unacceptable that children continue to be used in armed conflicts and we thanked European Parliament for adopting a recent resolution, which condemns violence against children and calls on the European Commission to consider child rights, development and humanitarian aid, holistically. UNICEF appreciates the effort of EU to protect the rights of children ,especially children affected by armed conflicts.”, said Mrs.Yoka Brandt- UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director.