Ningún niño/a debe experimentar los horrores de un conflicto armado.
Jamás un niño o una niña han empezado una guerra. Aun así, cada vez que se inicia una guerra, los más perjudicados son los niños y niñas, los miembros más vulnerables de nuestra sociedad. La comunidad internacional ha reconocido desde hace tiempo que los niños y niñas no tienen lugar en una guerra, y a pesar de ello, son ellos las principales víctimas. Muchos niños son obligados a luchar en estas guerras. Actualmente, más de 300.000 niños, algunos incluso menores siete años, están involucrados en hostilidades en más de 30 países.
Antes de iniciar una guerra, debemos tomar en consideración el alto precio que pagaran los niños y niñas pagarán por ella. Y una vez la guerra terminada, en el momento de la reconciliación, no podemos olvidarnos de ellos. La rehabilitación, reintegración e involucración de los niños y niñas tienen que ser el punto central en todo proceso de paz.
Antes de iniciar una guerra, debemos tomar en consideración el alto precio que pagaran los niños y niñas pagarán por ella. Y una vez la guerra terminada, en el momento de la reconciliación, no podemos olvidarnos de ellos. La rehabilitación, reintegración e involucración de los niños y niñas tienen que ser el punto central en todo proceso de paz.
Peace gardens to war drawings
After peace is declared, the victims of war can be forgotten despite a
continuance of war conditions and fighting. This is all too often seen
in war zones or former war zones where families have little means to
rebuild their lives. Aside from economic provisions attention also
needs to be paid to rehabilitating children and recognising the
psychological traumas they have experienced. What are people and organisations doing around the world to take action for and with children after war has ended?
'The War Through my Eyes' Many organisations have stated a need for children to express
reactions to war in whichever ways are most familiar. In this project
initiated b...
Your country's record on child soldiers
United Nations Security Council Resolutions and every major report on
the subject has identified the need for regular reporting and stronger
action to protect children caught in today's wars.
Watchlist
country reports detail all factors related to the impact or threat
of armed conflict on children including adolescents. They combine
information from various sources and analysis from child right's
experts and make recommendations for action. The Watchlist operates
within the framework of the universal human rights principles.
You can contribute and take part in the efforts of Watchlist by
- providing information to the Watchlist on your country, - using ...
Small arms are weapons of mass destruction
'More and more of the world is being sucked into a desolate moral
vacuum. This is a space devoid of the most basic human values; a space
in which children are slaughtered, raped, and maimed; a space in which
children are exploited as soldiers; a space in which children are
starved and exposed to extreme brutality.' Graça Machel's seminal report –
'The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children'
– was published and submitted to the United Nations General
Assembly in 1996. Look no further for an excellent introduction to the
use of arms and their impact on children! Eight years on it is still
widely used and referred to by the human rights community.
How can you join i...
Campaigning for children with refugee status
'Refugee children suffer a form of double jeopardy. A denial of
their human rights made them refugees in the first place; and as child
refugees they are also frequently abused, as the most vulnerable
category of an already vulnerable population.'
Human Rights Watch
Refugee camps are part of war situations both during and after the
fighting. Although refugee camps provide some respite from the terrible
conditions of war, often the protection they offer is not enough or
does not meet initial expectations. Health and safety conditions are
often lacking. Furthermore camps are often a permanent arrangement
rather than a short term one and thus many issues need be address...
Take action to get rid of landmines!
The placement of landmines is a reality of modern warfare and
particularly worrying because it is difficult to warn people of their
unknown locations. The distressing reality of landmines is their
existence after a war conflict. Landmines due to their size and
characteristics can be hidden almost anywhere, in a field, mountains,
near a well; all prime areas in which children may play or visit. Landmines continue war, even when peace is declared.
In 1999, the Mine Ban Treaty was agreed; the international agreement
that bans antipersonnel landmines. The treaty is the most comprehensive
international instrument for ridding the world of the scourge of mines
and deals with everyt...
Too young to fight
'It is immoral that adults should want children to fight their wars. There is simply no excuse for arming children.' Archbishop Desmond Tutu
One of most distressing aspects of modern day warfare is the extensive
use of child soldiers. In war torn countries such as Liberia, Sierra
Leone and Angola to mention but a few, the use of child soldiers is
common. Use of child soldiers also covers issues such as child labour,
exploitation and results in the oppression of a child's rights. An
estimated 300,000 child soldiers - boys and girls under the age of 18 -
are involved in more than 30 conflicts worldwide. Child soldiers are
used as combatants, messengers, porters, cooks and to pr...
