{"id":3512,"date":"2021-07-12T13:15:42","date_gmt":"2021-07-12T08:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ikhrw.com\/en\/?p=3512"},"modified":"2021-07-12T13:15:42","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T08:45:42","slug":"kdpi-militia-admits-violating-childrens-rights-by-flaunting-its-child-soldiers-publicly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ikhrw.com\/en\/report\/kdpi-militia-admits-violating-childrens-rights-by-flaunting-its-child-soldiers-publicly\/","title":{"rendered":"KDPI militia admits violating Children\u2019s Rights by flaunting its child soldiers publicly"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mandate of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (OSRSG-CAAC) was created by the\u00a0UN General Assembly in December 1996<\/a>\u00a0to strengthen the protection of children affected by armed conflict, raise awareness, promote the collection of information about the plight of children affected by war and foster international cooperation to improve their protection.<\/p>\n

Since 1999, the systematic engagement of the UN Security Council has firmly placed the situation of children affected by armed conflict as an issue affecting peace and security.<\/p>\n

Over 160,000 child soldiers released since 2000 as a result of UN dialogue and Action Plans, most of them from African countries.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Asking the KDPI: What happened to Sardar Tabnak?<\/a><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Terminating and preventing the occurrence of six serious violations has been the focus of the Special Representative’s work and duties. In 1996, the Security Council established a Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism – or MRM – to regularly monitor, document, and report child abuse.<\/p>\n

In its annual report on children and armed conflict, the UN Secretary-General called on parties in conflict to stop recruit, kill, rape, abuse, and attack children, as well as attacks on schools and medical hospitals. The purpose is to put an end to these violations.<\/p>\n

To better monitor, prevent, and end attacks on children, the United Nations Security Council has\u00a0identified and condemned<\/a>\u00a0the following\u00a0six grave violations against children in times of war<\/strong>, which were monitored in 20 conflict-affected countries around the world in 2017.<\/p>\n

1. Killing and maiming of children<\/strong><\/h5>\n
2. Recruitment and use of children by armed forces or armed groups<\/strong><\/h5>\n
3. Attacks on schools or hospitals<\/strong><\/h5>\n
4. Rape or other sexual violence against children<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n
5. Abduction of children<\/strong><\/h5>\n
6. Denial of humanitarian access to children<\/strong><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

The children of \u015eino (Oshnaviyeh); Part 1<\/a><\/h2>\n

Kurdish armed groups, regardless of their ideology and location in the Middle East, are one of the main suspects in the recruitment of children as soldiers. The PKK, PJAK, the YPG, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, and other Kurdish groups have repeatedly used children for armed and terrorist purposes.<\/p>\n

IKHRW has extensively reported on child recruitment, providing interviews with families, footage, pictures and other proof of the recruitment of minors by Kurdish militant groups.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The children of \u015eino (Oshnaviyeh); Part 2<\/a><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Paris Principles on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, adopted in 1993, define the child soldiers as following: \u201cA child who is associated with one of the government’s armed forces or a non-governmental armed group is declared anyone under the age of 18, that functions as a cook, a fighter, service, logistical or support force, spy, or is used for sexual purposes.”<\/p>\n

The “Paris Commitments” lay out detailed guidelines for protecting children from recruitment and for providing assistance to those already involved with armed groups or forces. They complement the political and legal mechanisms already in place at the UN Security Council, the International Criminal Court and other bodies trying to protect children from exploitation and violence.<\/p>\n

Obviously, voluntary or compulsory membership are undistinguisable according to the Paris Principles. It makes no difference whether a child is voluntarily, practically forcibly recruited, or abducted.<\/p>\n

Also in 2000, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Participation of Children in Armed Conflict was ratified by the UN General Assembly and entered into force on 12 february 2002.<\/p>\n

The Optional protocol is a commitment that:<\/p>\n