Child Soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo

WRITTEN QUESTION

Submission: To the Commission

9 October 2003

Subject: Child Soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The phenomenon of recruiting children as soldiers in the seven-year war in the Democratic Republic of Congo has had the tragic consequence of the abuse and death of thousands of them, some as young as 12 years old.

According to the report by Amnesty International announced on 9 October 2003 in Brussels on the “Democratic Republic of Congo and Child Soldiers,” it is a common practice to forcibly enlist children, subject them to brutal training, use them for heavy and extremely dangerous tasks, and subject them to sexual abuse by soldiers and their officers.

The Committee asks what measures the Commission intends to take to ensure respect for human rights, international conventions for the protection of children’s rights, the implementation of the terms of the 1999 Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, and to compel the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to stop the recruitment of children and create conditions for the smooth reintegration of those who have experienced this traumatic ordeal.