CHILD SOLDIERS INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 CHILD SOLDIERS INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 Key events and progress over the financial year THE GLOBAL PICTURE OUR VISION Protecting children in conflict is one of the most urgent human rights issues of our time. Around the world more than 240 million children are living in countries affected by conflict. Many of them 14,000 face violence, displacement, hunger and exploitation by armed children recruited into armed groups 240 forces and groups. in Central African million children today live in Child Soldiers International’s World Index – guilty of child recruitment, after implementing Republic since the an online database mapping child recruitment measures to remove children from their ranks. latest conflict countries affected by ongoing conflict practices worldwide – highlights the The government-backed Civilian Joint Task started six participation of children in at least 18 conflicts Force in Nigeria also signed a UN agreement years ago during the last year. to end child recruitment during the year. The scale of exploitation of children in war Globally, over 10,000 children were formally is startling. Boko Haram’s attacks continue released from armed forces and groups 46 across the Lake Chad Basin region, where during 2017, according to the UN Secretary- State militaries the group has used an alarming number of General’s latest annual report on children around the world children as “suicide bombers”. 203 cases in and armed conflict. continue to recruit Nigeria and Cameroon were verified in 2017. children under the At least 18 At the community level, Child Soldiers age of 18 conflicts around the More than 3,000 cases of recruitment by International is working to consolidate this world where children armed groups in DR Congo were reported in progress – promoting best practice to ensure have participated in 2017. At least 19,000 under-18s are believed to that children formerly associated with armed hostilities since 2016 be participating in the conflict in South Sudan, forces and groups have a safe and positive and we are seeing the recruitment of children return home, and strengthening community 203 spike in the Middle East. initiatives to prevent their recruitment in reports of children the first place. 19,000 We are fighting to end this. We envision a being used as children recruited different life for children – one where they We believe that by driving forward progress ‘suicide bombers’ by armed forces can grow up realising their full potential and in law, and supporting these changes with by Boko Haram and armed groups enjoying all their human rights. practical, community-led initiatives, we can in Cameroon and in South Sudan generate sustainable progress towards our Nigeria in 2017 over the past This year has seen some notable progress. goal: an end to child recruitment. four years 56 February 2018 marked the 18th anniversary armed groups and of the adoption of OPAC – the international We offer our thanks to all those who have seven state forces treaty which prohibits the use of children in supported us in our mission over the last named by the UN conflict. In September 2017 Central African year. From governments, international law Secretary-General Republic was the latest country to make the firms and charitable foundations, to the as guilty of child treaty law, taking the total number of state inspiring individuals, schools and community recruitment in 2017 parties to 167 out of 197 UN member states. groups who have so generously donated their time and money to our cause. The progress In 2017 the Congolese national army and the we have made has only been possible with Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines your support. *Statistics are accurate to our knowledge at the time of publication in July 2018 were removed from the UN list of parties Sources: United Nations, Save The Children, Child Soldiers International. 4 CHILD SOLDIERS INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 CHILD SOLDIERS INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 5 ©Amy Smyth OUR STRATEGY Our strategy is informed by one overarching goal: to prevent the military recruitment of any child. We work with governments, the UN, NGOs, But we also go beyond these solutions, affected communities and children to identify to tackle the problems at their source. In and implement effective practical measures addition to our practical, community-based to prevent child recruitment, and to ensure programmes, we drive change in national laws children who escape or are released from and international standards – action which is armed groups and armed forces can rebuild essential for a permanent end to the military their lives. exploitation of children. HOW WE WORK Our approach uses a combination of community-level prevention and international advocacy to prevent child recruitment in practice and in law. We work with the right experts in countries to drive progress towards our goals, both locally and globally. Community Where necessary, we work with governments We work with local child protection actors to provide technical assistance and practical to bring about tangible improvements to the guidance to ensure these changes are lives of children and communities affected implemented effectively. We connect our local by conflict around the world. We strengthen partners with government and UN officials to the capacity of local organisations and work encourage concerted advocacy. with them to foster communities that protect children from recruitment and re-recruitment. International This ensures our initiatives are sustainable We use our research at the international level and can protect children from recruitment in to drive action, improve understanding and the long term. change the approaches of other international child rights and child protection actors, the UN, National and diplomats, for a more effective, permanent We conduct national level advocacy solution to ending child recruitment. campaigns, directly and with our partners, to bring about the political and legislative changes needed to end child recruitment. CHILD SOLDIERS INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 7 ACHIEVEMENTS & PROGRESS GENEVA MARCH 2018 We joined the Special Representative to the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict in a panel at a UN side- event to emphasise the importance of LONDON FEBRUARY 2018 responding to the needs of girls in child We were delighted to be chosen for the soldier reintegration programmes. BBC Radio 4 Charity Appeal in February. Voiced by radio presenter Jane Garvey, the appeal raised more than £26,000 for our DR Congo projects. NAYPYIDAW FEBRUARY 2018 We held workshops in Naypyidaw and Yangon with our partner Equality Myanmar. Engaging parliamentarians and local child protection actors, the NEW YORK FEBRUARY 2018 workshops focused on the need for Celebrating 18 years since the BRUSSELS JANUARY 2018 Myanmar to ratify the child soldier treaty. adoption of the child soldier treaty, We addressed an event at the EU we brought together governments, Parliament on the protection of international bodies and NGOs to the children returning to Europe from UN, at our ‘OPAC Turns 18’ event. We conflict zones abroad. also launched the Child Soldiers World Index - our online database mapping child recruitment practices, policies and laws worldwide. BANGUI MAY 2018 We published new training and educational resources, designed to support the efforts of government officials and community child protection GOMA JUNE 2017 groups in preventing the recruitment of We launched our extensive research children in the ongoing conflict. report, What the Girls Say, from DR Congo, detailing the harsh realities facing girls formerly associated with armed groups and sharing the girls’ recommendations on the support they need. 8 CHILD SOLDIERS INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 CHILD SOLDIERS INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 9 recruited by Séléka and Anti-Balaka militias and provide practical, accessible advice for the several other disparate armed groups. organisations and communities working to protect their children. Armed groups in the mainly Muslim Séléka coalition (now dissolved) and predominantly Christian Anti-Balaka militias have used “You had to protect yourself. children as young as eight as combatants, [Séléka] came to rape even guards, human shields, porters, messengers, spies, cooks, and/or for sexual purposes. old women like me… How do you expect these children Some children are abducted, but many join ‘voluntarily’ to protect themselves and their to react?” communities. This is especially so with A community member in Pissa Anti-Balaka groups, many of whom are poorly equipped and organised, but emerged Our booklets (published in French and locally for self-defence. The situation is Sango) provide essential, illustrated exacerbated by the reality that released information to organisations working in children often return to communities where conflict-affected communities: accessible the same armed groups are still operating, notes on the impact of armed conflict on and risk being re-recruited. children; laws which prohibit child recruitment; practical measures to prevent child Preventing this from happening is our recruitment; and the role of communities in driving goal in CAR. Our training and protecting children from recruitment. awareness-raising materials are tailored to Our partner, Enfants Sans Frontières, delivers a community workshop on preventing recruitment in Boali, May 2018. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Our work in Central African Republic has accelerated over the past 12 months with the development of community awareness-raising materials to help stem child recruitment Working closely with UNICEF, the UN Mission efforts to prevent the recruitment of in CAR (MINUSCA), the government of CAR, children into armed groups, amidst the our national partner Enfants sans Frontières, ongoing conflict. and local child protection organisations, we have produced essential new resources, which Since CAR’s current conflict started in 2012, the are strengthening government and community UN says more than 14,000 children have been A workshop we held with ESF in Pissa during this year’s trip.