Wednesday, May 05, 2010
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NAIROBI, May 5 (Bernama)-- The United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) has expressed its concern over the recruitment of child soldiers in Somalia, and urged such practice to be stopped immediately.In a joint statement received here on Wednesday, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake and Secretary-General's Special Representatives on Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy said the use of children by armed forces and groups in a war crime is rising, and children as young as nine years old are being recruited.
"All parties must release the children within their ranks. Impunity must end and perpetrators brought to justice," China's Xinhua news agency reported, citing the joint statement as saying
According to recent reports, they said that schools are being used as recruitment centers and that child soldiers are often beaten or executed when captured.
They said children who have been recruited are victims and must be treated accordingly.
"We stand ready to assist in the demobilisation of Somali children and help them recover their childhoods and reintegrate into their communities," the statement said.
They called on the international community including those providing support to parties in Somalia, to unanimously condemn this practice and use their influence to bring it to an end.
They added that children who have been forced to put on a uniform and carry a gun suffer psychological and often physical damage, and without assistance may grow to become instigators of violence, including recruiters of child soldiers, as adults.
They said the use of child soldiers is a tragedy for Somalia right now, and unless urgent action is taken may also threaten the country's future stability.
"Children and young people are the majority of the population of Somalia and they deserve a childhood free from the terrors of armed conflict."
Source: Bernama