Is Every Child a Child?
Jerry M’bartee Locula discusses the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), raising questions about its universality, its practical implementation, the role of judicial proceedings in determining a child’s “best interest”, and ultimately posing the question of who is a child.
Paedophiles’ Paradise: Child Abuse and Child Prostitution in Sri Lanka
Analysis of global tourism’s role in supporting child sex tourism, with specific emphasis on the case of Sri Lanka, where there are an estimated 30,000 child sex workers.
Learning from the Past and Looking Towards the Future: The Situation of Child Soldiers in Colombia
In light of the current peace negotiations between the FARC and Colombian government there is the potential for thousands of children to be demobilized in the upcoming year(s). While this is promising, children have not been adequately included in the peace process so far. This is ominously reminiscent of the 2003 demobilization of the AUC, which led to only a few hundred of potentially thousands of children being formally demobilized, many of whom are believed to have been re-recruited by neo-paramilitary groups and organized criminal gangs. This paper will explore the current situation of children associated with illegal armed groups in Colombia, the challenges facing their reintegration, and the lessons learnt from the failure of the previous demobilization, all with a view towards improving the potential demobilization of child soldiers following a successful peace process between the FARC and Colombian government.
Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants in Conflict Affected Northern Uganda
This paper shall apply a discourse analysis of Disarmament, Resettlement and Reintegration (DRR) of ex-combatants with special emphasis on Northern Uganda, a region which has faced conflicts for over two decades. I apply knowledge and skills required to plan, manage and implement programmes for sustainable recovery of war-torn Northern Uganda. The paper will showcase skills in rehabilitation, reconstruction, peacebuilding and the role of civil society. My prior engagement in a post-conflict recovery human rights project in Uganda, as well as my experiences supporting DRR under the Amnesty Commission, will be used to address the topic from a practical point of view. The paper includes a general overview, key actors in the conflict, DRR in detail, Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) issues, DRR challenges, appropriate responses or recommendations and conclusion. I believe this study will also empower me to effectively and efficiently serve in conflict management, peacekeeping and peacebuilding foras.
Key words= ex-combatants, disarmament, demobilization, reintegration
Zimbabwe’s new constitutional dispensation and children’s right to education
Zimbabwe’s new constitution reiterates the right to education for all citizens and permanent residents, and calls for state resources to be made available in order to fulfill this right without discrimination. What is needed now is the political will to realize the right to education for all, and to harmonize existing legislation with the new constitutional provisions.
The Deportation Death Sentence: An analysis of the United States’ role in perpetuating Human Rights abuses against should-be Honduran refugees
The past few years have been unprecedented in the United States, as a record-setting number of Latino immigrants crossed its southern border, including thousands of unaccompanied minors. Recognizing that many of these children were fleeing severe gang and cartel violence, the United Nations began advocating for the recognition of organized crime as a potential cause for refugee status. Children crossing the border are often in need of international protection, but it goes undocumented and underprovided. In this paper, I will analyze how the United States’ unwillingness to recognize certain children as refugees is perpetuating grave abuses in human rights for children fleeing gang and cartel violence with a specific focus on Honduras.
Children in Armed Conflicts: Inconsistency of the Laws, Culpability and Criminal Responsibility of Child Soldiers
This essay explores the concept of Child Soldiery and its inconsistencies under International Law, with a focus on the vulnerabilities of children in situations of armed conflict.
The Unraveled and Disquieting Human Rights Violation of Afghanistan
The issues of Human Rights violations have always been of grave concern to the Human Right Defenders. The cases of human right violations ignite fury and anguish and pose challenge for the world. This paper here forth brings forward the odious crime of ‘Bacha Bazi’, and explains how the organized crime takes place in the country, it reflects on the plight of the victim, questions the responsibility of the government to act and pushes for humanitarian intervention. It states that though the crime is restricted to one country but the onus of demolishing this traditional practice lies on the international community as a whole. The world should therefore come together and join hands to save the future of the Afghan Boys.
Keywords: Bacha Bazi, International Conventions, Human Rights, Young boys, Afghanistan, Sexual Slavery
Violent or Non-violent Solutions? The Child Soldiers of Northern Uganda
Ask the question can von-violent methods help to end the war that has lasted seventeen years in northern Uganda destroying the lives of thousands of children and young people. She notes that progress has been slow but that is no excuse for stopping. Quite the opposite, and one way of moving forward is to shout as loudly as possible. The Peace and Conflict Monitor is helping. Join in the cacophony.