UN: Child Soldiers Used In 13 Countries
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A senior U.N. official has told the Security Council that the situation for children caught in conflict is “grave and entirely unacceptable.”
The top U.N. envoy on the matter claims that 58 groups in 13 countries still recruit and use child soldiers.
In 2005, the Security Council established a group to monitor countries and groups using child soldiers. The official says there have been some positive results, but more needs to be done.
Legal action has been taken against recruiters of child soldiers in Congo and there have been several convictions in Sierra Leone. Ivory Coast has been taken off a list of offending countries because of steps it has taken, including the release of 3,000 child soldiers to UNICEF.
