Global Action Network: Resolution Based Advocacy Global Action Network: Resolution Based Advocacy
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—Victoria Forbes Adam, Director, International Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers Issue in Brief
In 2003 ACEI, at the forefront on this issue, expressed great concern about the
growing numbers of children used as soldiers in an official position calling the practice:
"illegal, morally reprehensible, a violation of international norms and treaties, and perpetuates the abhorrent and harmful perception that children, particularly orphans and the poor, are expendable assets." Recently, a report released
by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, highlighted the
continuing escalation of this global problem and the need for greater
education and advocacy efforts to put a halt to this tragic practice.
Additionally, the Human Rights Education Associates has issued the 2008
Child soldiers Global Report, underscoring the need for a significant
increase in our attention to this issue. ACEI Speaks About Child Soldiers
ACEI Statement on Use of Child Soldiers This official ACEI Statement
condems the use of chld soldiers as illegal, morally reprehensible, a
violation of international norms and treaties, and perpetuating the
abhorrent and harmful perception that children, particularly orphans
and the poor, are expendable assets. The statement urges action to end
this practice. Children who have fewer ideas about peace than they do about war are the long-term consequence of a society that legitimizes violence in the form of armed conflict, dismisses human values in the face of political crises, and drains government budgets with military spending. This official ACEI Statement urges a proactive approach to peace education.
Recommended Resources Publications
In his 2003 Keynote address
at the ACEI Annual Conference, Dr. Joe Frost spoke noy only on gaps in
the way society is failing our young, but ways to bridge the gaps to
reach children's hearts and minds. He noted that "we must commit
ourselves to bridging the gaps between the haves and the have-nots.
Chasms of a staggering scope exist in developing countries for which we
have obligations. These include war, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, poverty,
illiteracy, infanticide, the sale of children, child prostitution,
child pornography, and starvation-all gaps that overshadow in their
magnitude and severity those faced by children of the industrialized
world."Human Rights Education Can Be Integrated Throughout the School Day To sum up, teaching human rights education may begin in small places, our own classrooms. We may feel alone, but we can take heart in the memorable words of Eleanor Roosevelt, in a 1958 speech before the UN, that still ring true today: Where after all, do human rights begin? In small places, close to home-so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any map of the world. Yet, they "are" the world of individual persons. . . Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning elsewhere. An ACEI Exchange Article. Press centre - Despite global push to end use of child soldiers, reality on the ground for tens of thousands of children remains bleak According to the recent annual report on Children and Armed Conflict issued by the Secretary General of the United Nations, the number of armed groups and forces identified as using children has climbed from 40 in 2006 to 57 in 2007. The rise in the number of groups identified as using child soldiers has reinforced the importance of the Optional Protocol and having international legal instruments and improved monitoring and reporting mechanisms in place to combat this scourge. More nations commit to 'Paris Principles' on ending the trauma of child soldiers The "Paris Principles and Guidelines on children associated with armed groups"; establish two ways to address the issue of child soldiers: One is to build a serious international commitment to abolish the practice; and the other is to make sure that commitment is translated into real, ongoing protection for children and their families as they resume civilian life. The guidelines were agreed by 58 countries; plus the host country, France, during the Free Children from War international conference held in Paris in February of this year. 'Blood Diamond' film screening highlights the plight of child soldiers In 2002, the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict called upon all nations to outlaw the use of children under 18 in combat. In the context of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the protocol provided a legal framework to prevent the further abduction or enlistment of children into armed conflict. "I feel like it is one of the most powerful human stories," said Mr. Hounsou, discussing the personal impact the film had on him. He added that 'Blood Diamond' was "shining the light on child soldiers." "A movie like this tells the story very graphically, very explicitly in ways that people who read stories in newspapers can't see," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, who attended the screening. Amnesty International's Human Rights Education Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go To War The process of doing this book was a six-year journey which not only challenged my notion of what childhood should be, but also the true impact of conflict. There's a line from a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay where she wrote about childhood being "the kingdom where nobody dies." Yet, for millions of children throughout the world death and loss are the consuming themes of youth. Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers works to prevent the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, to secure their demobilisation and to ensure their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Get the Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 and other reports, udates, and newsletters. The Center for Defense Information link to the 2007 State Department Human Rights Report on the Use of Child Soldiers. On March 11, 2008, the U.S. State Department released its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The 196 reports detail information on the "nature and extent of the compulsory recruitment and conscription of individuals under the age of 18" by all armed groups in every country, and the steps that have been taken by the governments of the respective countries to eliminate such practices. CDI provides these excerpts as well as an analysis of the reports and the findings. Children In The Ranks Video on child soldiers and the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2007. You Tube
Take Action on This Issue 2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers and community newsletters. 3. Send published letters and articles to your member of Congress. 4. Write or e-mail to your state legislators. (acei.org/legisl.htm) 5. Write or e-mail to you national legislators. (acei.org/legisl.htm) 6. Organize a community forum. |
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