One in eight children in the world lives in a war zone and may be forcibly recruited

One in eight children in the world – in other words over 300 million – live in a war zone and may be forcibly recruited, the non-governmental organization warned on Tuesday (30/11) Save the Children, calling for increased access to school education, which it believes is crucial to reducing this risk.

In 2020, the United Nations They called for a global ceasefire so that the new coronavirus pandemic could be tackled without hindrance. But armed groups not only continued, but escalated their activities in various countries, including Afghanistan, in DR Congo, in Nigeria, in Yemen.

Her report NGOs reports that by 2020, 337 million children were living in areas where armed organizations or regular forces are engaged in recruiting minors.

Nearly 200 million of them live in the deadliest war zones, a number increased by 20% compared to 2019.

“It is simply appalling that in the shadow of the new coronavirus pandemic despite its appeal UN to declare a global ceasefire, more children than ever “are at risk of being forcibly recruited and” injured or killed “, according to the Inger Assing, its general manager Save the Children International.

The exact number of child soldiers is unknown. In 2020, however, more than 8,500 children were recruited and used as fighters or in support roles, mostly by non-governmental armed organizations, according to data from the United Nations. This is a number increased by 10% compared to 2019.

This number probably represents only a small part of the children who have actually been recruited, the organization’s report underlines.

“Millions of children have experienced nothing but war, with dire consequences for their mental health, for their ability to go to school, for access to basic life-saving services. “This is a stigma for the international community,” she said Asing in her press release NGOs.

Forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict is considered one of the worst forms of child labor, along with trafficking in minors for sexual exploitation, according to the UN International Labor Organization.

Children are more vulnerable to recruitment if they are poor or unable to go to school, to take part in battles, to take on supporting roles, such as cooks, or for sexual exploitation.

Girls, who account for about 15% of all UN recruits in 2020, are often used as spies, or as kamikaze bombers, and are at high risk of sexual abuse, according to the report. Save the Children.

The report makes proposals to end what it calls a “war on children”, such as holding perpetrators accountable for serious violations and guaranteeing children’s access to education and protection from forced recruitment.

THE UN Special Representative for Children on Armed Conflict, the Virginia Gamba, stressed earlier this month, in a joint statement with International Labor Organization and ΜΚΟ War Child UK, that governments must put the needs of children at the heart of their plans to recover from the new coronavirus pandemic.

The Lady Calf underlined the need to set up reintegration programs for children and to support initiatives taken at community level and by organizations working on the front lines.

But, according to Sandra Olson, counselor for the social reintegration of child soldiers into the non-governmental organization War Child UK, lack of funding remains a major obstacle.

“Many reintegration programs today receive funding for only 12 months or less, periods too short to enhance the resilience and action of communities,” she said. Olson, calling on states and donors to “prioritize this crucial project”.