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Lauding the Military Agenda for Child Rights

The NEWS (Monrovia)
EDITORIAL
June 25, 2004
Posted to the web June 25, 2004
Monrovia
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at placing child rights and child
protection on the agenda of the national military will on today, Friday, be
signed between Defense Ministry authorities and a child welfare non-
governmental organization, Christian Children's Fund (CCF) in Monrovia.
The Agreement is against the backdrop that children in the West African Region
are faced with increased exploitation, abuse and torture, inhumane and
degrading treatments at the hands of both State and non-state actors in armed
conflicts.
Worst of all, children were being recruited and drawn into active military
combat by armed groups during Liberia's decade-long civil war in flagrant
violation of international protocols and conventions on the rights and welfare
of the child.
The trauma suffered by these war-affected children and the grave consequences
for themselves, their families and communities are disquieting and need to form
the core of Liberia's national agenda, if children are to serve as nation-
builders and guarantors of the future.
The involvement of children into the Liberian imbroglio has presented a set of
problems for the Country and their own future. However, the United Nations-
backed peace mission is grappling with an enormous task of disarming,
demobilizing, rehabilitating and reintegrating a significant portion of
Liberian children, mainly ex-child soldiers into the mainstream of the society.
We therefore look forward, with alacrity, to the signing of the Memorandum of
Understanding between the Christian Children's Fund and the Government of
Liberia through authorities at the Defense Ministry aimed at placing child
rights and child protection on the agenda of the national military.
We believe the insertion of child rights and protection, as a subject in the
training curriculum of the military and other security agencies would enable
them to know that they, too, have cardinal roles to play in the protection of
children's rights during and after conflict situation.
We are no doubt convinced, that had military personnel and other non-State
actors known that they assume such responsibility, they would not have treated
children to the extend to which they did.
Such efforts by the Christian Children's Fund and the Government is laudable!
We can only hope that personnel of various security agencies and the Government
will live up to the terms of this Agreement as it could determine how prepared
our Armed Forces are in dealing with children and in representing the Country
on future peacekeeping missions.
Hence, there is an excessive need to give child rights and protection a
priority.

   

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