Security Council slams use of children in armed conflict

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The UN Security Council on Tuesday slammed the continuing recruitment and use of children in armed conflict and deplored the systematic use of rape and other forms of sexual violence against them.

It did so in a non-binding statement adopted at the end of a day-long debate attended by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF) executive director Ann Veneman and Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN special representative for children and armed conflict.

The text, adopted by all 15 members, stressed the need to end impunity for such violations and abuses and for "a broad strategy of conflict prevention, which addresses the root causes of armed conflict in a comprehensive manner."

It said the council "strongly condemns the continuing recruitment and use of children in armed conflict" and "is concerned with the widespread use and systematic use of rape and other forms of sexual violence against children particularly girls in situations of armed conflict."

"Sexual violence is often used as a weapon of war and there must be greater focus and attention on this issue," Veneman said. "We need to put an end to the abuse, the rapes and the sexual violence."

The council called for the full implementation of the monitoring and reporting mechanism on children and armed conflict called for in a 2005 council resolution.

The mechanism aims to track six grave violations against children around the world: killing or maiming, recruiting or using child soldiers, rape or sexual violence, abducting children or denying them humanitarian access and attacking schools or hospitals.

In a related development, New York-based Human Rights Watch urged the Security Council to slap sanctions against government and rebel forces that persist in using child soldiers.

It noted that UN chief Ban Ki-moon had identified 58 governments and armed groups that recruit and use child soldiers in violation of international law.

"Of these, 14 parties to armed conflict are repeat violators that have been named in five consecutive reports from the secretary-general between 2002 and 2008," it added in a statement.

Human Rights Watch singled out Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers guerrillas, Colombia's leftist FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and ELN (leftist National Liberation Army) insurgents, Uganda's rebel Lord?s Resistance Army and the government forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Myanmar.

"Both government and rebel forces have recruited and used child soldiers year after year in defiance of both international law and repeated appeals from the Security Council," said Jo Becker, children?s rights advocate for Human Rights Watch.

"The Security Council must show that it is serious about holding these forces accountable for their exploitation of children," Becker added.