The child soldier

Who is this man?

#bethechange

5 Days of Freedom

Children’s Rights

1998

myth

reality

New definition

• UNICEF defines a ‘child soldier’ as any child – boy or girl – under 18 years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity, including, but not limited to: cooks, porters, messengers, and anyone accompanying such groups other than family members. It includes girls and boys recruited for forced sexual purposes and/or forced marriage. The definition, therefore, does not only refer to a child who is carrying, or has carried, weapons.

(Based on the ‘Cape Town Principles’, 1997)

2013

Afghanistan, Burma, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, DRC, India, Iraq, Peru, Phillipnes, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Thailand, Yemen

16 COUNTRIES AND 200,000 + CHILD SOLDIERS

Children’s rights?

8 things you can do RIGHT NOW/ TODAY to make a difference

• Use your access to technology to give voice!

• On April 18- BE SILENT!• At School- get involved through

clubs and organizations• Get Political- hold our leaders

accountable!• In Local/Global Community-

volunteer! • Get a REAL job!• Read Up• Follow & ReTweet

must reads

must follows #bethechange

• War Child Canada @WarChildCan • ChildSoldiers.org @ChildSoldiers• W2I @W2IProject • UNICEF @UNICEF• AmnestyInternational @amnesty• Free The Children @freethechildren • Child Soldiers Int. @ChildSoldiersIn• Human Rights Watch @hrw• child rights (CRIN) @CRINwire