DATE=1/17/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CHILDREN / ARMED CONFLICTS (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-258138
BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN
DATELINE=GENEVA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: A senior United Nations official has appealed
to governments to adopt an international treaty to
raise the minimum age at which children can be
recruited into the armed forces. Lisa Schlein reports
from Geneva.
TEXT: The U-N official, Olara Otunnu, calls this the
last and best chance for the international community
to achieve an agreement which will protect hundreds of
thousands of children from fighting in wars around the
world.
The U-N has been negotiating a proposed treaty for the
past six years to raise the minimum age of military
recruitment from 15 to 18. The U-N official told
government representatives attending a conference in
Geneva that efforts to curb the use of child soldiers
will falter if the United Nations fails to reach an
agreement during this round of talks.
Mr. Otunnu is U-N Deputy Secretary-General for the
protection of children in armed conflict. He says
most children in countries he has visited are
recruited from poor families in rural areas. He says
many of them do not have birth certificates to prove
their age.
/// OTUNNU ACT ONE ///
And I found as a practical matter it is a lot
easier to say to a young man, "I don't know how
old you are. But you cannot possibly be 18,"
than to guess whether they are 14, 13 or 15.
It's a practical matter. The higher the age
limit, the more children we can protect on the
ground.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Otunnu says a 12 or 13 year old often can be
mistaken for 15. But, he says in most cases, someone
that young will not be mistaken for an 18 year old.
He says having an international agreement which raises
the minimum age of child soldiers to 18 would help him
enormously in his work.
Mr. Otunnu says he travels around the world seeking to
get parties in conflict to make commitments not to
recruit child soldiers. He says many warring parties
have accepted 18 on a voluntary basis. But, many
others have told him that they will not exceed
present international standards.
/// OTUNNU ACT TWO ///
The FARC (rebel group) in Colombia said we are
prepared to accept international standard which
is 15. We shall sign up to that. But, not one
notch above that. So, having an optional
protocol with the highest possible standard
would strengthen our advocacy effort in the
campaign to stop the recruitment and use of
children as child soldiers.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Otunnu says an agreement would allow the United
Nations to turn its attention to other activities
needed to curb child soldiers. For example, he says
the United Nations must mobilize international
pressure to lean on governments and rebel groups who
abuse children. He also says armies need to be
monitored more carefully to make sure there are no
child soldiers.
The U-N official says the only people who would
benefit from a U-N failure to conclude a treaty would
be the fighting groups who are abusing children. He
says the biggest losers would be the children.
(Signed)
NEB/LS/JWH/KL
17-Jan-2000 11:19 AM EDT (17-Jan-2000 1619 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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