Words: 903
The annual report of the ‘Special Representation of the Secretary General for children in armed conflict’ (2011) by the ‘Human Rights Council’ states that the ‘Option Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of he Child’ (2012) had been ratified in 141 countries worldwide including Syria in 2003, however the international community still face difficult challenge to enforce this procedure as children’s rights are continuing to be disproportionately misrepresented in a number of states where conflict or war is ongoing. Human Rights Council, 201 1) The conflict in Syria began in 201 1 and since then there has been a massive number of human rights violations on behalf of the government armed forces and the opposition groups fighting the government which include the recruitment and involvement of children under the age of 18 in military or onflict situations which places the lives of these children immediately at risk.
The ‘Human Rights Watch’ (2014), an organisation which seeks to “defend the rights of people worldwide whilst putting pressure on those with power to respect rights and secure justice”, discovered that opposition armed forces in Syria were responsible for the recruitment of children as young as 14 participating in military operations such as fighting on the front lines, spying on opposition, treating wounded soldiers and the ferrying of ammunition and supplies into dangerous areas of the battlefield.
It is reported that some of he reasons young children join these military forces is because they are simply following friends or family whom have also joined groups, some live in the heart of the battle zones and have no alternative as schools and play areas are used as battle fields and sometimes often children feel they are victims to the governments neglect. Human Rights Watch, 2014) One of the terrifying features of this has been the discovery that the Syrian opposition forces such as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) whom are a rebel organisation that oppose the states army, have been targeting children as oung as 15 and enticing them to join their military groups by offering basic schooling which includes weapons and military training and also a living monthly wage which incentivises children to join, as they feel there is no alternative option available and it is their best chance of survival during these harsh periods of conflict. Human Rights Watch, 2014) The ‘Lessons in War’ (2012) report highlights a study which states that in a large number of armed conflicts around the world, educational institutions and schools have been used by armies and military forces for the purposes uch as bases, army barracks, torture centres and firing stations.
According to ‘The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack’, an organisation established in 201 0, to highlight and tackle the concerns about ongoing attacks on educational institutions in countries affected by conflict and security, reported that the use of educational facilities in conflicts occurred in at least 24 countries since 2005 with South Sudan and Syria the most frequent countries for this extreme offence to the safety of children by occupying between 83 – 1 000 schools during conflict battles. Lessons if War, 01 2) It is now one of the United Nations key aims to combat the occupation of educational institutions by military organisations in future. (United Nations Website) In conclusion, by looking at the troubles in Syria, there are two urgent problems which need to be addressed in order to reduce the number of child soldiers participating in armed conflicts. There are also similar trends and commonalties which most other war torn countries share.
Firstly, the recruitment of any child under the age of 18 into military forces, whether it is due to opposition groups targeting young men and enticing them to become hild soldiers or young children choosing that option, the main aim is to Stop the recruitment of children full stop. ‘Louder than Words’ (2012) strategy aims to combat this problem by issuing a global ban on the military’ recruitment of any person below the age of 18 years and implementing enforcement measures and state sanctions if any national or non-state army fail to comply with this policy.
The strategy includes a “10-point Checklist” which is aimed to assist and encourage all states by assessing risk factors and identifying legal and practical measures needed to end the use of child soldiers in military orces and armies. (Louder than Words, 2012) All armed groups should therefore, immediately demobilize these children from fighting, publicly promise that they will not use children therefore be held accountable for their actions and institute procedures to monitor the ages Of children to ensure they don’t enlist again.
Secondly, the use of educational institutions and schools by military groups during conflict battles needs to be ended with immediate effect. use of education facilities by troops directly violates children’s right to education and also puts the lives of teachers at risk who may in turn not attend class esulting in a lack of education being delivered to pupils. Lessons in War (2012) suggests that in order to tackle this problem, a clear and concise plan will need to be developed and implemented wh ich advises the leaders and generals of armed forces of the importance of decision making when planning strategic attacks so that education premises will not be at risk. Also armed forces should ‘respect and ensure’ the security and protection and development of young children in areas which are worst hit by war zones.