FORMER CHILD SOLDIERS SHARE STORIES OF SUFFERING WITH SECURITY COUNCIL WORKING GROUP FOR CHILDREN AN
Channel: UNMISS VIDEOS
Date: 09/11/2018

South Sudan’s leaders are being urged by the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict to expand their current Action Plan to take a more comprehensive approach to preventing all violations and abuses against children.

Led by the Swedish Ambassador to the UN, Olof Skoog, the delegation travelled to South Sudan to meet government officials, security forces, civil society and humanitarian agencies as well as children forcibly recruited into armed forces.

SOUNDBITE: AMBASSADOR OLOF SKOOG, CHAIR OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL WORKING GROUP ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT:
“Any child that has a real choice would never join in any armed conflict. That is a given. Unfortunately, the circumstances in South Sudan and elsewhere, South Sudan is not unique, has forced children into the armed conflict for economic reasons, or for being pressured in or abducted, kidnapped and forced in. And regardless of the reasons for any child to have joined the armed forces, they are victims always.”

At a press conference in the capital Juba, Ambassador Skoog urged the country’s leaders to continue to release and reintegrate child soldiers into the community but admits that further support is needed for this process.

SOUNDBITE: AMBASSADOR OLOF SKOOG, CHAIR OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL WORKING GROUP ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT:
“There is also a need for a solid investment in social, economic development, schools, health care services and protection also outside the armed conflict, the presence of justice and police is an important aspect of this. I understand that there is a capacity issue here as well of course. But it is my hope that as the country hopefully moves away now from conflict into peace that the investments that have been made by the United Nations and the Government when it comes to humanitarian emergency relief can be shifted into more resilience, development, social and economic investments in many of these sites.”
 
The Working Group said the new peace agreement also provided a fresh chance for political leaders to improve the situation for children. 

SOUNDBITE: AMBASSADOR OLOF SKOOG, CHAIR OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL WORKING GROUP ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT:
“I believe that the peace agreement in its revitalized form is an opportunity to turn the corner and to move forward when it comes forward to really and truly protecting the interests of the children of South Sudan.” 

The Working Group has recommended the criminalization of the six grave violations against children as part of an upcoming review of the Penal code and the enhancement of accountability measures in South Sudan.