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Call for conflict-free environment for children

by Rajmi Manatunga

Human rights activists from all parts of the world who assembled in Colombo yesterday for the Universal Children's Day celebrations urged Governments, military groups and other organisations to stop conscription of child soldiers and create a conflict-free environment for children.

They point out that over the last decade around two million children have died in conflict while six to seven million children have been disabled or maimed due to war. In African and Asian countries, an estimated 300,000 children are engaged in armed conflicts. Since 1991, landmines have maimed 82,000 children and internal conflicts have displaced 40 million children.

A three-day international conference organised by the Save the Children Fund under the theme 'Bringing Children Home' will focus attention on children's participation in decision making and the responsibility of adults in helping children who have been physically tortured and traumatised by conflict and other types of abuse related to war.

On the first day of the conference it was highlighted that even humanitarian workers who come in the form of a blessing to the war-affected areas sometimes sexually abuse the vulnerable segments such as children and women, leaving them HIV positive.

Among the proposals made by delegates were the need for special laws for the accountability of child abuse, especially during times of war, increasing mine-risk education and reintegrating children with their families.

"Those who engage in child abuse during conflict should be held responsible and accountable for their misdeeds by international criminal tribunals and other child friendly legal procedures," they said.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony Resident Representative of the UNICEF Ted Chaiban pointed out that education was the key to bringing a child traumatised by war back into normal life.

"We should safeguard the children's right to have education. Let them participate in the debate of peace and politics in his community. If not, they will be further excluded and marginalised from society," he added.

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