In a release issued on January 29, 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged that he United Nations impose sanctions against those countries that partake in the use of child soldiers. Ban's statement was largely related to the Children and armed conflict Report of the Secretary-General, which was issued on December 27, 2007. The report, which recommendations also included;
“…that the Security Council give equal weight to all categories of grave violations, including not only the recruitment and use of children, but also the killing and maiming of children, rape and other grave sexual violence, abductions, attacks against schools or hospitals and denial of humanitarian access to children.”
According to UNICEF estimates, last year alone some 250,000 children served as soldiers, however other NGO's, such as HRW report figures as high as 300,000. Child soldiers continue to be used in Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, the Central African Republic (CAR), Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, the Philippines, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Uganda.
Ban also asked the Council to refer violations against children in armed conflict to the International Criminal Court (ICC). in order to set “precedent” in an effort to put and end to the impunity of such unspeakable crimes against children. The ICC currently has arrest warrants issued for five senior heads of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), including LRA leader, Joseph Kony.
In addition Ban has also urged the Security Council to tackle the issue of cluster bombs, air-dropped or ground-launched munitions which launch a number of smaller submunitions (“bomblets”), which can cover large areas of land. The use of cluster bombs have been used since Vietnam, and continue into the Iraq war, and continue to kill thousands of civilians, many of which are children.
“binding instrument that prohibits the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians.”
“Norway has led an effort to craft a treaty banning the weapons. Campaigning groups say nearly 100 countries support a ban, but munitions-producing nations the United States, China and Russia — all with vetoes in the Security Council — are resisting” (Reuters).
There is no denying that the use of child soldiers, must be taken seriously and that a heavy hand must fall upon those who continue to steal hope and childhood from the innocent. For these children are stolen from their parents arms, then forced to kill them, and that is only the beginning of a long road of fear, violence, and unspeakable horrors. As an international community we must take a stand, and we must not back down, but sanctions alone will not end the torture of the millions of child soldiers around the world, we must initiate peace and reconciliation, education, awareness, and rehabilitation and support programs in place. We cannot work just to prevent, but we must heal the wounds of the past, and rebuild the lives of everyone effected by war in order to build a better future for tomorrow…a future without war and child soldiers.
