Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
Associated Press - Monday, December 23, 2002
Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press Writer
"Child victims of armed conflict and commercial sexual exploitation desperately need the world's attention," said U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Philip Reeker.
The United States is the 42nd country to ratify the two protocols. One requires nations to ensure that people under 18 do not participate in hostilities, while setting 18 as the minimum age for compulsory military recruitment. The other demands harsh punishments for people convicted of promoting child prostitution or engaging in child pornography and the sale of children.
Ambassador Sichan Siv, the U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, delivered documents confirming ratification to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child at the United Nations.
The U.S. State Department said the Senate and President Bush both approved the treaties, but it wasn't clear exactly when the ratification occurred.
The U.S. government initially opposed an 18-year minimum age for combat and in the past sent 17-year-old troops into armed conflicts in Somalia, Bosnia and the Gulf War. But the Department of Defense determined that it could comply with the protocol and ensure U.S. military recruitment and readiness.
More than 300,000 children are used in armed conflict as soldiers, messengers, guards, runners, bearers, spies, cooks and sex slaves, especially in Africa and Asia but also in Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, according to U.N. figures.
"Often, they live with fear, pain and degradation - or don't survive at all," Reeker said.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report to the Security Council this month listed 23 parties - including governments and rebel groups - in Afghanistan, Burundi, Congo, Liberia and Somalia that recruit and use child soldiers.
Human Rights Watch said the measures will enable the Bush administration to exert global leadership in ending the use of child soldiers.
"As a party to the treaty, the United States will be better able to use its considerable political and military influence to discourage the use of children as soldiers by other governments and armed groups," said Jo Becker, the group's children's rights advocate.
The State Department declined to estimate how many millions of children in the world are victimized in the multibillion dollar commercial sex trade, since most of the criminal activity is hidden.
"That said, an estimated one million children are currently trafficked for coerced sexual exploitation or labor," it said. "Those exploited children are at increased risk of violence, drug abuse, and disease - including HIV/AIDS."
The protocol calls for international cooperation among law enforcement agencies to stop the sale and sexual exploitation of children. It also calls for states that ratify the protocol to provide victims with counseling and rehabilitation.
021223
AP021238
Copyright © 2002 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .