UN making progress in disarmament of child soldiers

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is continuing its efforts to demobilise upwards of 8,000 child soldiers in Afghanistan, a country devastated by over two decades of war. "Of the children who have been demobilised to date, more than 1,700 have been assessed for reintegration programmes," Mohammad Rafi, a UNICEF spokesman told IRIN in the Afghan capital, Kabul, explaining that many of them were now benefiting from education, vocational skills training courses and income generation support in their home communities. Since the start of its programme in February 2004, 2,203 child soldiers between the ages of 14 and 18 years have been disarmed and demobilised in eight Afghan provinces including Kunduz, Badakhshan, Takhar, Baghlan, Bamyan, Laghman, Nangarhar and Nooristan. The child soldier demobilisation effort is running parallel to the UN-backed main disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration initiative (DDR) programme, which is expected to target over 100,000 ex-soldiers across the country. UNICEF, in collaboration with its partners, will undertake community-based rehabilitation projects enabling ex-child soldiers to obtain education and create opportunities for an alternative to military life. According to Rafi, the operation is divided into two phases. Firstly, the children are assessed for eligibility within the programme, registered and offered medical screening. Secondly, they are provided with durable alternative opportunities to military life, including education and vocational skills training. The demobilisation process takes place at the community level, involving family members and local community structures to ensure ownership by the larger community. All demobilised children underwent medical and psychological assessments and participated in briefings on mine risks, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS prevention and basic health education. A profile was then developed for each child, which included soldiering status, and preferences that would guide the reintegration process. Each demobilised child soldier is issued with a personal identification number and an ID card. The UNICEF official noted that the second phase of the process involved the former child soldiers in discussion with NGOs, who would outline possible reintegration options, including enrolment in formal education, skills training, and apprenticeships. All training options include an element of literacy training as 76 percent of demobilised child soldiers have received no formal education. The child soldier demobilisation effort was still ongoing in the eastern provinces, and was expected to move to six provinces in central Afghanistan and five provinces in the north before the end of 2004, Rafi added.