DEFINITION OF KEY WORDS
(1) Child means any human being under the age of 18 years, in
accordance with article 1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
(2) Recruitment and use of children. Recruitment includes
acts of voluntary or forced conscription or enlistment to any armed force or
armed group. The Paris Principles states that the use of children includes the
use of minors in any capacity, such as, but not limited to: fighters, cooks,
porters, messengers, sexual slaves or spies.
(3) Exploitation" of a child means the use of a child in the
course of work or other activities for the benefit of others and to the
detriment of the physical or mental health, development and education of the
child. Exploitation includes, but is not limited to, the exploitation of the
prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services,
including the forced commission of a crime, slavery or practical analogues.
(4) Killing of Children includes any action that results to
the death of one or more children.
(5) Maiming of children, on the other hand, includes any
action that results to permanent or debilitating injury, defacing, scarring,
and mutilation to one or more children.
(6) Attacks on Schools & Hospitals. Attacks on schools
and hospitals involves the occupation, shelling, targeting for use in
propaganda, destruction (partially or completely), and causing harm to the
school or hospital facility and its personnel. For this violation, a school is
any structure, with clear boundaries and recognized by the community as a
learning facility. Hospital would include any facility where the sick and
wounded are gathered for treatment.
(7) Rape and great sexual violence. This violation includes
acts of sexual violence such as rape, enforced sterilization, forced
prostitution, forced marriage or pregnancy, as well as sexual slavery.
(8) Abduction of Children would include kidnapping,
hostage-taking, illegal detention, of any child in the context of armed
conflict. Usually, this violation is committed along other violations such as
recruitment, rape, or maiming.
(9) Denial of Humanitarian Access involves the intentional
barring by physical force or administrative barriers, of humanitarian aid,
supplies, services, and personnel, into and out of an affected area.
(10) Protection is set of activities aimed at ensuring full
respect for human rights in accordance with the text and spirit of human law,
international human law and refugee law.
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(11) Prevention of recruitment means provisions that would
prohibit the recruitment and use of children in the armed force/ group would be
one of the key components of the Action Plan. This would mean that the armed
force/ group would desist from engaging the services
of children in all their activities. (12) Release and
Reintegration. Activities aimed to
support the release of children
in the armed force/ group and facilitate their reintegration into civilian
life.
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CAUSES OF CHILDREN RECRUITMENT IN ARMED GROUPS
The reasons children are recruited by armed group are complex,
and it's depending on the situation. It appears more Children are not only
registered alongside adults, but identified as being targeted, because the use
of children has various advantages to groups.
According to NGO and Monusco's report, armed Group recruit in
order to use them as fetish, fighter, spy, porter, human shield, sexual slave
and others services. Children live bad experiences in bush under yoke of armed
group.
In North kivu, armed Group need to have a great number of
combatant for maintaining its power in front of enemies. Chiefs of armed group
know that if they are less in number then they will not be able to defend
themselves at the moment of attack. So, they at the most of time to keep strong
and to be able to resist against AFDRC attacks or others armed group.
Both Nyatura rebellious and FDLR operate in Lubero and
Rutshuru territories. They established their camp in Virunga National Park. So
sometime they kidnap and abduct children in village surrounding. Among
children, they often abduct young boy. However, they could take young girls.
It's also important to know that among the list of active armed group, both NDC
renovate and MAIMAI MAZEMBE as well as RAIYA MUTOMBOKI which operates in Masisi
and Walikale territories had committed violations against children.
One of Consequences of children recruitment, some people run
away dangerous village and they go to live in another one which is secured.
Surely, there is village in which children undergo a great risk. Such situation
affect education program when it known that the armed Group can abduct children
in school environment or in the way of school.
It's very important to know that if children are not only
forced by armed Group but other children choose to join deliberately armed
Group. Surely, such children don't appreciate their conditions of family's
life. They hope if they become military or combatant they will have power and
be able to satisfy their needs. That is also a consequence of parents who
failed education of their children and to satisfy to theirs needs.
Even if a child opted himself to join voluntary an armed
Group. The armed Group must not accept to recruit him.
Monusco child Protection section initiate actions to prevent
recruitment of children. This Section interfere to protect children who are
victims of grave violations. They work to provide protection of civilian in
period of armed conflict. 9
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