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| [GFX: news.BDTV.in] |
Bangui/Dakar/Geneva: UNICEF has said that it had received credible reports that
rebel groups and pro-government militias are increasingly recruiting and
involving children in armed conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR).
The UN body, therefore, has called for the "immediate cessation" of child
recruitment by all armed groups in the CAR and has urged all parties to protect
children against the harmful impact of, and their involvement in, armed
conflict in the country.
“A number of rebel groups and various pro-government
militias have become more active in recent weeks in the capital city of Bangui
and across the country,” said Souleymane Diabate, UNICEF Representative for
CAR. “Reliable sources have informed us that children are newly being recruited
among their ranks. These reports are of serious concern.”
“Our team on the ground is working with partners to monitor,
verify, and respond to grave violations of child rights, including recruitment
into armed groups. Those at greater risk are children who have lost their
homes, are separated from their families or were formerly associated with armed
groups,” added Diabate.
As part of its reporting obligations to the United Nations
Secretary-General and the Security Council, UNICEF is currently working with
other UN agencies to monitor grave violations against children in CAR. This may
include recruitment or use of children in armed forces and groups, sexual
violence against children, attacks against schools or hospitals, killing or
maiming of children, child abduction and denial of humanitarian access.
Even before conflict erupted in December 2012, about 2,500
children – both girls and boys – were associated with multiple armed groups,
including self-defence groups, in CAR. While it is impossible to give a precise
figure, reports indicate that this number will rise because of the recent and
escalating conflict.
UNICEF is highly concerned about the harmful impact of
conflict on children in the country and condemns the involvement of boys and
girls below the age of 18 who may be forced to fight, carry supplies, perform
other support roles and be abused as sex slaves by armed groups.
Since 2007, UNICEF has worked in CAR with both the
government and rebel factions, in collaboration with non-governmental
organizations, to secure the release of more than 1,000 girls and boys from
armed groups and self-defence groups and support their reintegration into
families and communities.
“Recent commitments under international law by the
Government and some rebel groups to keep children out of the fighting must be
respected,” said Diabate in Yaounde, Cameroon. “All violations must stop.
It is critical that everything is done to protect these children and keep their
families safe.”
The highly volatile security situation is also hampering the
delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected communities and has led UNICEF
to relocate 14 international staff and consultants last week. UNICEF has
established an operational crisis centre for CAR in Yaounde, Cameroon. Through
a team of national experts, UNICEF maintains a critical staff presence in the
CAR and collaborates with a network of partners to continue emergency
activities.
As per UN estimates, more than 300,000 children have already
been affected by the violence in CAR and its consequences, including through
recruitment, family separation, sexual violence, forced displacement and having
no or limited access to education and health facilities.