News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International

AI INDEX: AFR 01/005/2003 16 June 2003
Africa: African governments must respect children's rights

On the Day of the African Child, Amnesty International is calling on
African governments to ratify the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare
of the Child*, where they have not done so already, and for all governments
to rapidly put into practice the terms of the Charter.

Everyday, African children continue to be used as soldiers, often to fight
on the front line, or as porters, messengers, guards, or cooks. Girls are
used as sexual slaves or are given a gun and sent into combat. Millions of
other children across Africa suffer daily violations of their rights to
food, shelter, health and education.

"Africa's future is blighted by the denial of children's rights and African
governments have an obligation to put an end to this," Amnesty
International said.

* Burundi, Central African Republic, the Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Sao Tome and
Principe and Sudan have yet to sign the African Charter on the Rights and
Welfare of the Child. The Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Ghana,
Liberia, Namibia, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia have signed, but
not yet ratified the Charter.

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For more information on child soldiers please visit
http://amnesty-news.c.tclk.net/maabaLEaaYDqqbdTYAHb/

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