SECURITY COUNCIL EXPANDS CRITERIA OF VIOLATIONS AGAINST CHILDREN DURING CONFLICT

The Security Council today called on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to expand his list of parties who recruit child soldiers to include those who kill, maim, rape or commit other forms of sexual violence against children in wartime.

Unanimously adopting resolution 1882, the Council strongly condemned such violations of international law committed against children and called on those parties on the Secretary-General's so-called 'list of shame' to prepare "concrete time-bound action plans to halt those violations and abuses."

In addition, the 15-member body "calls upon concerned Member States to take decisive and immediate action against persistent perpetrators of violations and abuses committed against children in situations of armed conflict," and to bring them to justice.

"This is a major step forward in the fight against impunity for crimes against children and a recognition of the reality of conflict today, where girls and boys are increasingly targeted and victimized, killed and raped, as well as recruited into armed groups," said Radhika Coomaraswamy, welcoming the adoption of the "landmark" text.

An important aspect of the expanded listing criteria is the Council's empowerment of the UN on the ground to enter into dialogue with armed forces and groups on action plans to halt these violations and to bring perpetrators to account.

The Council first established a mechanism for monitoring, reporting on and punishing those responsible for the recruitment of child soldiers in resolution 1612, adopted in 2005. According to that text, institutions at the country-level gather evidence and forward the information to the Secretary-General, who then reports to the Security Council and the General Assembly.

Ms. Coomaraswamy noted that the Council's focus on recruitment and use and the accompanying threat of targeted measures against persistent violators has resulted in the release of scores of children in conflicts around the world, most recently in the Philippines and in the Central African Republic (CAR).

"We hope that this expansion will result in equally effective measures with regard to the killing and maiming of children and sexual violence," she added.

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters, the Special Representative noted that today's action shows that "the UN system works best when it comes to children."

She also welcomed the Child Protection Policy, adopted by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in June, which responds to the call for greater mainstreaming of child protection across the UN system. It includes the presence of child protection advisers in the field, training and advocacy, and a lead role for peace operations in monitoring for resolution 1612.

"DPKO is now quite sensitive to this issue and hopefully this will have its results in the field in the years to come," said Ms. Coomaraswamy.

UNICEF WELCOMES RELEASE OF ALMOST 200 CHILD SOLDIERS BY CENTRAL AFRICAN REBEL FORCE

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed the release of nearly 200 child soldiers by a Central African rebel group and called for more demobilizations in the conflict-torn country.

The People's Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD) has released 166 boys and 16 girls aged between 10 and 17 since April, and nearly all those child soldiers have since been reunited with their families, UNICEF said in a statement issued yesterday.

The release of the child soldiers follows the rebels' signature of a peace agreement last year and a visit to the Central African Republic (CAR) by Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

"We are extremely pleased that APRD leaders are following through with their commitment to surrender the children in their ranks," said Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF's representative in Bangui, the CAR capital.

The UN agency has been working closely with the CAR Government and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to plan and coordinate the release of the children, who mostly hail from Ouham Pendé province in the north of the country.

Two transit centres were built and each released child was given a "demobilization kit" that includes clothes, sleeping mats, blankets and personal hygiene items. The former soldiers also receive medical check-ups, basic literacy and mathematics classes and counselling.

When the children return to their former communities they can participate in catch-up classes to facilitate their reintegration into regular schools, while older children can attend training programmes in such areas as animal husbandry, tailoring and carpentry.

But Mr. Mdoe stressed that the former child soldiers are usually returning to communities with limited access to basic services and few employment opportunities. Sporadic fighting continues in northern CAR, particularly near the borders with Chad and Sudan.

"Reintegration is a long and often difficult process in any circumstance, and the prevailing climate of insecurity adds to the challenges," he said. "We need to keep up our assistance to these communities if we want the demobilization programme to succeed."

UNICEF is calling for an additional $1 million to ensure that the demobilization and reintegration of the child soldiers can continue.
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MYANMAR: STEPPED UP EFFORTS TO PREVENT CHILD SOLDIERS’ RECRUITMENT – BAN

In spite of some positive steps, greater efforts are crucial in Myanmar to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and to release all children associated with South-East Asian nation's armed forces, according to a new report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Mr. Ban called on the Government to engage with the country task force to finalize an action plan – ensuring the security and safety of monitors, witness and victims, among other measures – which conforms to international standards.

In the report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict in Myanmar, he urged authorities, "as a matter of priority," to "redress the prevailing culture of impunity, to launch investigations into all incidents of recruitment and use of children, and to prosecute people responsible for such acts under the Penal Code."

"Building on the limited progress thus far, the Government should, with immediate effect, cease the arrest, harassment and imprisonment of children under the age of 18 for desertion and/or attempting to leave the army, and continue to work with the country task force to monitor such cases and to ensure the swift and unconditional surrender of children," Mr. Ban said.

He also pointed to the "continued lack of humanitarian access" in Myanmar, especially in contested and ceasefire areas, as an obstacle to providing much-needed assistance."

The Secretary-General cited the "best interest of the child" principle in calling on authorities to ensure full, unimpeded and safe access for children and to allow the UN and other humanitarian organizations to deliver relief supplies to all parts of the country, "without exception."

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BURUNDI: TOP UN OFFICIAL APPEALS FOR HELP IN REINTEGRATING FORMER CHILD SOLDIERS

BURUNDI: TOP UN OFFICIAL APPEALS FOR HELP IN REINTEGRATING FORMER CHILD SOLDIERS
New York, May 28 2009 7:00PM
The Secretary-General's Special Representative on children and armed conflict has called for urgent support of hundreds of former child soldiers recently released from a demobilization centre in Burundi and reunited with their families.

The last 340 former child soldiers, formerly associated with the Forces Nationales pour la Liberation (FNL) rebel militia, who have left the Gitega Demobilization Centre, must receive long-term care to ensure a lasting reintegration into their communities, Radhika Coomaraswamy said in a press release issued yesterday.

She also appealed for the discharge of another 44 children who remain with FNL dissidents in the Randa and Buramata assembly sites, urging the Government to finalize their separation without delay.

"Child soldiers endure traumatizing experiences and their long-tern reintegration must remain a priority of the Government," said Ms. Coomaraswamy.

She called on the Government and the donor community to develop and support long-term reintegration activities for all the children formerly associated with armed groups, noting that a delay in providing socio-economic support could derail the process.

"The promise of peace and tangible support will help them to rebuild their lives," added Ms. Coomaraswamy.

The Security Council has repeatedly voiced its concerns over delays in implementing the 2006 Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement signed between the Government and the FNL, ending a brutal civil war lasting four decades between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority.

In December, the Council extended the mandate of the UN Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB) until the end of this year to help restore peace in the small Central African country, where the ethnic conflict has killed hundreds of thousands.
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