On this International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, let us remind ourselves that over 473 million children live in conflict zones, from Myanmar to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Haiti to Sudan, Ukraine to the Sahel region. Children are the primary victims of armed conflicts they did not start. If they survive, they [...]
How many child soldiers are there in the world? Click to read the stories of children affected by armed conflict. Tens of thousands of boys and girls are recruited and used as child soldiers by armed forces and armed groups in conflict in countries around the world. The United Nations monitors who [...]
Virginia Gamba, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Rob Williams, CEO, War Child UK Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General Frederique was in school in Bambari, Central African Republic, when the militia attacked. Many people died in the hostilities, including his brother and mother. Devastated, Frederique joined an armed group, seeking both protection [...]
This story was produced in cooperation with WPDI "I don't want any other children to suffer as I did" Rajab is an enthusiastic 26 years old South Sudanese national currently living in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement, located by the town of Bweyale in Uganda. This refugee settlement hosts over 65,000 people, of which 80% [...]
PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Remarks by Ms. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Ending the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers by 2025 Excellencies, Distinguished Panelists, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank Alliance 8.7 and War Child for organizing today’s event. My Office actively supports, as a [...]
This story was produced in collaboration with the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI) “The recruitment and use of children exposes them to serious harm that can cause life-long damage to their physical and psychological health.” Reframing Child Reintegration: From humanitarian action to development, prevention, peacebuilding and beyond - Global Coalition for Reintegration of Child Soldiers [...]
“Despite global commitments and efforts, children around the world continue to suffer from the consequences of conflicts and are still being used as expendable fuel of war. “Armed forces and armed groups continue to recruit and use children, tearing them away from their families and communities, cruelly stripping away their dignity and destroying their lives [...]
Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to begin my speech by thanking the French Government for having organized this meeting of the United Nations Security Council. I also thank the Security Council for giving me the opportunity to represent Civil Society Organizations, especially children. Thank you also to the Special Representative of [...]
Following an extensive period of consultations and advocacy from the United Nations, the National Assembly in the Central African Republic adopted recently the Child Protection Code which criminalizes the recruitment and use of children among other crimes. The Code was introduced by the Minister for the Promotion of Women, Family and Child Protection. The Special [...]
As the world is getting ready to mark the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers on February 12th, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG CAAC), Ms. Virginia Gamba, made a strong plea for increasing prevention efforts to better protect children from hostilities during the African Union Summit [...]
