Treaty to ban use of child soldiers comes into force

A treaty to ban the use of children as soldiers came into force on Tuesday, following 10 years of international efforts to fight one of the major causes of human rights violations in the world, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced. The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict establishes that no person under the age of 18 shall be subject to conscription into regular armed forces, and imposes an obligation on states to raise the minimum age for voluntary recruitment to at least 16 years. States which are parties to the protocol are obliged to ensure that members of their armed forces under 18 years of age do not take direct part in hostilities. In addition, armed groups distinct from the armed forces of a state should not, under any circumstances, recruit or use in hostilities persons under 18. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), children serve in armed conflict as fighters, spies, servants, messengers and sex slaves. "They are increasingly being targeted for recruitment, because they are easily manipulated and coerced into violence," a statement from UNICEF said on Tuesday. "Many are recruited by force or simply abducted. Others are driven to join armed forces and groups by poverty, or do so for food or perceived security. Girls as well as boys are used as soldiers in many parts of the world, and are frequently sexually abused. Many child soldiers are killed or maimed." Marking the coming into force of the Optional Protocol, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson called on states not only to ratify the treaty, but to make binding declarations ending all forms of military recruitment and participation of children under 18 years of age. "We are urging all governments and armed groups to end the military recruitment of children under 18, and to release and rehabilitate those children already in service," she said. "There can no longer be any excuses for using children for war." The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Olara Otunnu and UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy also hailed the historic event. "Children have no place in war and deserve the highest level of international protection to keep them from being used as child soldiers," said Otunnu. "This new treaty is a victory for children who have been neglected, abused and sexually exploited by warring factions for decades." "Too often, children are forced into combat. They are terrorised in their homes and schools, and subjected to abductions, ill-treatment and sexual exploitation," Bellamy said. "The entry into force of the Optional Protocol is vital to the protection of children in today's conflicts." The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers has played an important role in advocating for the adoption of the Optional Protocol. It estimates that half a million children are currently serving in government armed forces, paramilitaries and armed groups in 85 countries worldwide; more than 300,000 of these in more than 35 countries are actively participating in fighting. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, which 10 years ago initiated work leading to the adoption of the Optional Protocol, will be in charge of monitoring progress achieved by states in implementing it. Within two years of ratifying or acceding to the protocol, states must submit a report to the Committee, providing comprehensive information on the measures they have applied to implement it. Fourteen countries have now ratified the Optional Protocol: Andorra, Bangladesh, Canada, the Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Holy See, Iceland, Kenya, Monaco, New Zealand, Panama, Romania, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Eighty-two countries have signed without proceeding to ratification. The US, which allows voluntary enlistment at 17, was among countries opposing a higher limit for volunteers. The UK, which allows enlistment at 16, also expressed opposition. Both countries, however, have signed the accord, and say they will ratify it.