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Members of the Ivorian military have just concluded a five-day training-for-trainers seminar in Abidjan run by Save the Children (SCF)-Sweden.
The course, which ended on Friday, was part of the second phase of a programme aimed at training members of the West African military in the rights and the protection of children in pre- and post-conflict situations, SCF-Sweden's Justine Dede told IRIN on Tuesday. Phase one, held in June 2000 at the Zambakro military school in Yamoussoukro, the Ivorian capital, involved trainers from 13 West African countries.
Issues dealt with during last week's seminar included the convention on the rights of the child, and the impact of armed conflicts on children at the individual, community and global levels, Dede said. Participants also learnt about the different mandates of the various organisations that help children and other civilians such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and national Red Cross societies, the World Food Programme and the UN Children's Fund, Dede said.
During the third phase of the programme, participants in last week's course, are expected to train soldiers in various barracks in Cote d'Ivoire in child rights and protection issues. Similar training courses are also to be held in other West African countries.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
