AP Online

November 21, 2001 Wednesday 2:31 AM Eastern Time

SECTION: DOMESTIC NEWS

LENGTH: 555 words

HEADLINE: UN Urged on Plight of Child Soldiers

BYLINE: JONATHAN EWING; Associated Press Writer

DATELINE: UNITED NATIONS

BODY:
Alhaji Babah Sawaneh was only 10 when rebels in Sierra Leone kidnapped and
beat him. Then they taught him to fire an assault rifle.
The former child soldier, now 14 and reunited with his family, spoke before
the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday. His plea for improved protection of
children in war was echoed by representatives of member states, and the
council adopted a resolution aimed at ending the recruitment of child
soldiers.
"I did bad things in the bush and I saw very bad things done to both
children and adults," Sawaneh said. "I was used to fight. During attacks we
killed people, burned down homes and cut limbs."
The United Nations estimates that more than 300,000 children under the age
of 18 have been recruited to fight as soldiers worldwide, mostly by rebel
groups. Most are between 15 and 17 years old, but some are as young as 7.
Most have been kidnapped.
In the West African nation of Sierra Leone, rebels have waged a decade-long
campaign of terror, killing and mutilating thousands of civilians in a war
aimed at toppling the government and controlling the country's diamond
fields. Thousands of children were abducted in the late 1990s - the girls
for raping, the boys for fighting.
As recently as five years ago, the recruitment of children was often
carried out with little or no notice, said Carol Bellamy, executive
director of the U.N. Children's Fund.
International law sets 15 as the minimum age for military recruitment, but
many nations have ratified an optional protocol that bans children under
the age of 18 from participating in armed conflicts. Now, under the statute
which will create the world's first international criminal court, the
recruitment of children as soldiers is defined as a war crime.
For children who survive such ordeals, the transition back to normal life
is a huge challenge. Many lack education or skills that could help them
earn a living. Neighbors fear them or hate them for their militant past.
They often are seen as aggressive and violent.
"With family members, I have faced a lot of distrust. Some doubt whether I
will ever be a normal child again," Sawaneh told the Security Council. "I
am easily reminded of my past when I make mistakes. 'Do not bring your
rebel life here,' they say."
Some children are wracked by guilt over what they've done - killings,
rapes, looting and beatings. The boys often return with injuries, the girls
often come back pregnant.
"The international community is not doing enough to prevent harm to girls
in times of war," said Olara Otunna, special U.N. representative for
children in armed conflict. "Sadly there are fighting groups whose
preferred agents to serve as suicide commandos remain girls."
Speaking specifically to the rights of young girls, the resolution adopted
Tuesday called for all parties in armed conflicts to put an end to the
exploitation of girls, particularly through sexual violence and rape.
Girls from the Balkan region have been trafficked into prostitution rings
in western Europe, Otunna said. Schoolgirls in northern Uganda have been
abducted by the rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army.
"Some aspects of the victimization of children ... are still frighteningly
familiar," said U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham.

On the Net:
http://www.child-soldiers.org

LOAD-DATE: November 21, 2001