Libyan municipality commits to address child soldiers issue

CAIRO – 12 July 2017: The Libyan Bani Walid local council announced on Tuesday its commitment to release, rehabilitate and reintegrate children associated with armed groups, according to a statement by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

The Bani Walid Municipality Commits to Address the Involvement of Children in the Armed Groups https://t.co/cM76ysmo3F@UnicefLibya pic.twitter.com/dQed22NhwR

— UNSMIL (@UNSMILibya) July 11, 2017

Bani Walid is the third municipality in Libya to take action on addressing the involvement of children in armed groups as a response to UNICEF efforts in the national campaign “Together for Children,” launched in April 2015.

Ghassan Khalil, UNICEF Special Representative in Libya, commented on this step, saying, “I welcome the decision of the Bani Walid local council and extend the invitation to all municipalities in Libya to follow suit,” according to the UNICEF statement.

From its side, UNICEF committed to provide the technical support and expertise to the municipality to ensure the success of the initiative in line with child rights and child interest standards.

On July 10, child protection actors from Bani Walid participated in a five-day workshop in Tunis to learn about the legal obligations and international mechanisms for the protection of children in armed conflicts as well as rights-based mechanisms to release, rehabilitate and reintegrate children involved with armed groups.

UNICEF defines children associated with an armed force or armed group as “any person under 18 years of age who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity, including, but not limited to, combatants, cooks, porters, messengers and anyone accompanying such groups, other than family members.” The definition also includes girls recruited for sexual purposes and for forced marriage.

Children associated with armed forces or armed groups are exposed to tremendous violence. They are often forced to witness and commit violence, while themselves being abused, exploited, injured or even killed as a result. Their condition deprives them of their rights, often with severe physical and emotional consequences.

There are many ways for children to become associated with armed forces and groups. Some children are abducted and beaten into submission, while others join military groups to escape poverty, to defend their communities, out of a feeling of revenge or for other reasons.


Libyan municipality commits to address child soldiers issue

According to data from UNICEF, since 2000, over 115,000 children have been released and reintegrated into their communities in over 15 countries affected by armed conflict. Estimates suggest that as many as 300,000 children are believed to be serving as soldiers in armed conflicts around the world, depriving them of normal childhood and education.

The map below shows in red the countries where armed forces or groups recruit children, according to the UN’s list of shame in 2016. They are: Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The countries shown in orange are countries where non-state armed groups recruit children.


Map of countries where armed forces or groups recruit children - courtesy of Child Soldier organization

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) identifies and condemns the recruitment and use of children during conflict as one of the six grave violations. The UNSC monitors, reports and responds to abuses suffered by children in times of war. Ending and preventing these violations is also the focus of the Special Representative’s work and advocacy.

Child protection advocates across the world actively work to promote the legal and normative framework to prohibit child recruitment by armed groups, mainly through the ratification and implementation of the “Optional protocol to the convention on the rights of the child on the involvement of children in armed conflict” and the endorsement of the “Paris principles and guidelines on children associated with armed forces or armed groups” and the “Paris commitments to protect children from unlawful recruitment or use by armed forces and armed groups.”

They also work to provide support services that care for the physical and mental health and well-being of released children, provide them with life skills and engage them in positive activities towards their future, including education, vocational skills and livelihoods training.