Red Hand Day 2022
Photo Credit: Tim Marshall (Unsplash)
Today is the United Nations (UN) International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, which is more commonly known as Red Hand Day. If recruiting children to assist in conflicts is one of the six grave violations against children in international law, why does it continue to happen?
Current child soldier statistics.
According to UNICEF, between 2005 and 2020, more than 93,000 children were used as child soldiers in dangerous conflicts, although the actual figure is believed to be higher than what the international body could verify. Many of those children are in West and Central Africa. A UNICEF report says that the region accounts for the largest number of child soldiers in the world and the highest number of child victims of sexual violence. Children are particularly vulnerable to rebel recruiters during a coup. Just a few weeks ago, Burkina Faso became the fifth Sahel nation to fall to a coup since 2020. Humanitarian aid groups have been reporting an uptick in child soldier numbers, coinciding with the increase in jihadi violence, in Burkina Faso for the past year.
How armed combatants use children.
During conflict, some children are usually forced to join armed groups, but rebels also lure children in impoverished communities with promises of food and money. While child soldiers are often painted as young male gladiators, boys or girls may serve in many capacities, including as sex slaves, cleaners, child brides, cooks, spies, and messengers. Regardless of the role, children in conflict zones are always in extremely perilous conditions that inflict lasting physical and emotional scars. The International Labour Organization (ILO) believes that this is one of the worst forms of child labor today.
Countries need to ratify and implement OPAC.
The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC) was adopted by the UN in 2000. Acknowledging OPAC's 20th anniversary, the UN Child Rights Committee and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict issued a joint statement, reiterating the need for members to ratify OPAC. It said, in part, “Ratified by 172 countries, all of which committed not to recruit anyone under 18 for the battlefield, the OPAC has been a beacon in the establishment of a global consensus that children have no place in war."
Share this true story. In 2017, James, a former child soldier in South Sudan, was finally reunited with his mother and siblings. This animated video by UNICEF includes real photos of James and his family. The video explains how James was kidnapped, forced to fight, and left for dead after being shot. There are thousands of children in James' predicament and UNICEF works tirelessly to "free child soldiers and reunite them with their families." You can learn more about their efforts and support their work here.