Feature
Democratic Republic of Congo: Stop the use of child soldiers
Under international law, the forced recruitment and use of children under 18 in armed forces is illegal. The recruitment of children under the age of 15 is considered a war crime. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), it is estimated that at least 30,000 children have been part of the government forces and armed groups during the conflict that began in 1996....
The Human Rights of Children: Overview
The promise to protect (the rights)
Protecting the human rights of children is to invest in the future. Children's rights are the building blocks for a solid human rights culture, the basis for securing human rights for future generations.
Children are entitled to all the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the various treaties that have developed from it. Children are also guaranteed additional rights, notably under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – the most widely ratified human rights treaty – because they need special protection and care. They must be able to depend on the adult world to look after them, to defend their rights and to help them develop and realize their potential.
Governments are obliged to protect all the rights of the child - economic, social and cultural rights as well as civil and political. States are not only responsible for the violations committed by their own state officials, but they are also obliged to take positive measures to prevent abuses against children by private individuals, whether in the community or in the family.
Amnesty International campaigns around the world to ensure that children's human rights are protected. It calls on governments, opposition groups and all other actors who exercise control over children to adhere to the principle of ''best interests of the child'' as the primary consideration in all actions concerning children
The betrayal (the violations):
Almost all governments pay lip service to children's rights, but most fail to live up to their words. Children suffer many of the same human rights abuses as adults, but are often targeted because they are dependent and vulnerable or because children are not seen as individuals with their own rights.
Children are tortured and ill-treated by state officials, detained in appalling conditions, and sentenced to death. Countless thousands are killed and maimed in armed conflicts. Millions are forced by poverty or abuse to live on the streets where they are vulnerable to abuse. Millions more work at exploitative or hazardous jobs or are victims of child trafficking and forced prostitution. Discriminatory attitudes and practices mean girl children suffer gender-specific abuses, such as female genital mutilation, and are particularly vulnerable to other forms of abuse, including rape.
AI Campaigner
Hilary Homes
"It's hard to believe that recognition of children's human rights is relatively new concept. It's time to stop thinking of children as the inevitable "casualties" of nations, communities and families in crisis."
For more information on children's human rights or to join our mailing list, please email childrenhr@amnesty.ca
Updated: 23 November 2006