Stop Backsliding on Use of Child Soldiers

Expand A child soldier rides back to his base in Ituri Province. Children are routinely recruited as soldiers in Congo by all sides. © 2003 Marcus Bleasdale/VII When I joined Human Rights Watch more than two decades ago, I quickly became involved with a global campaign to stop the use of child soldiers. Today marks 20 years since one of the campaign’s key accomplishments – the adoption of the United Nations treaty banning the use of child soldiers. Since then, 170 countries have ratified the treaty, agreeing not to use children under the age of 18 in direct hostilities and to criminalize…

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