Forced+recruitment+of+children+for+combat


 * FINAL COPY OF CHAIR REPORT March 2010: [[file:Forced Recruitment of Children for Combat.docx]]**


 * Current Events News Articles from Mr. Giordano: [[file:child soldiers.zip]]**

have fun reading the reports...and writing those resolutions!
 * Hello, delegates!**
 * Basically, the chair report will give you a brief overview of the topic, and will probably assist you in narrowing your research down. remember, the preambulatory clauses** are NOT the main point of your resolution, so focus on what YOU WANT TO DO ABOUT THE ISSUE.

__**Definition of Key Terms:**__ (esp. national sovereignty within international law) || in political theory, the ultimate overseer, or authority, in the decision-making process of the state and in the maintenance of order. The concept of sovereignty—one of the most controversial ideas in political science and international law—is closely related to the difficult concepts of state and government and of independence and democracy. || __**Background to the Topic:**__ The use of child soldiers in combat has been worldwide since before the World Wars, and this phenomenon is a worrying one. In 2001, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, reported that an estimated 300,000 child soldiers were enlisted in about 30 conflict areas, notably in Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Mozambique, Somalia, Uganda, Sudan, and Guinea-Bissau. In Sierra Leone alone, about 15,000-20,000 children under the age of 18 fought for both government and rebel forces. The consequences of child soldiers are long-term. These children are often mentally disturbed after such traumatizing experiences, and have a difficult time reintegrating back into 'normal' society. These children also lack education, and have been deprived of vocational abilities. The U.N. have implemented rehabilitation, disarmament, and demobilization efforts in Mozambique, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Although these efforts have been of assistance, veteran child soldiers are often too deeply entrenched in warfare. The Security Council responded to this new phenomenon by mandating the establishment of civilian "child protection advisors", who protect the child soldiers during the conflict and afterwards. However, the issue lies with the fact of continued illegal recruitment of child soldiers, and it is increasingly difficult for the United Nations to deploy forces to remote regions. __**Major Countries and Organizations Involved and Their Positions:**__ …etc. || Nations who are anti-child labor are all against child combat, since child combat is considered one of the worst forms of child labor. || __**Important, Relevant Documents:**__ UN Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted in 2000, [|www.un-instraw.org] Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement - agreement signed by the DRC, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Uganda and rebel groups in 1999 to stop war in the DRC. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. __**Bibliography/Plagiarism Checklist:**__ "About Child Soldiers." //Amnesty International USA//. Amnesty International, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <[] about-child-soldiers/>. RIN. //AFRICA: Too Small to Be Fighting in Anyone's War//. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Dec. 2003. Web. 15 Feb. 2010. <[]>. "Regional Perspectives: Africa." //Model U.N.:A Guide to Delegate Preparation//. Ed. Scott A. Leslie, UNA-USA, et al. 2004 ed. New York: United Nations Association of the United States of America, 2004. 86-96. Print. Country research: [] [|www.unicef.org] (U.N. Children's fund) [|www.ilo.org] (International Labor Organization) [|www.unido.org] (U.N. Industrial Development Organization) [|www.amnesty.org] (Amnesty International) [|www.hrw.org] (Human Rights Watch) [|www.humanrightsfirst.org] (Human Rights First) [|www.unicef.org/statis/index.htm] (UNICEF statistics) Haiti - are 'restaveks' child laborers? Did China break up their 'child labor ring'? Underage workers in Iowa? [|www.reuters.com/news] [|www.news.bbc.co.uk] [|www.cnn.com] Source: UNICEF
 * TAIMUN VIII: Chairs’ Background Papers Format (Chair Message)**
 * Committee: Human Rights and Youth Committee**
 * Chair: Christine Huang**
 * Issue: Forced recruitment of children for combat**
 * Child soldier || Children enlisted in combat who are under the age of 18. ||
 * Collective security || An arrangement in which nations agree to take joint military action against any aggressor that attacks any one of them. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an example of a collective security arrangement. ||
 * Ethnic cleansing || The expulsion, imprisonment or killing of ethnic minorities by a dominant, majority group. ||
 * ethnocentrism || Belief in the inherent superiority of one's own cultural or ethnic group. ||
 * Peace enforcement || Peace-enforcing does not require consent from the conflicting parties and is undertaken to protect the populace from an aggressor or a civil war. ||
 * Peace-building missions || These missions are aimed at development activities in post-conflict regions to ensure that the conflict does not re-ignite. ||
 * Sovereignty
 * Pro-child combat || Afghanistan, Burundi, **Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burma (Myanmar)**, Nepal, the Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Uganda.
 * Anti- child combat || G8, G20 member nations, developed nations.
 * __Appendix (Useful Links):__**
 * __Useful Links:__**
 * Specialized agencies:**
 * NGOs:**
 * Issue research:**
 * [|www.child-soldiers.org]**
 * Current events:**
 * Statistics:**
 * 1) There may be as many as 70,000 child soldiers engaged by government and rebel armies in Burma, the country named as the worst offender.
 * 2) Most child soldiers under 15 are found in non-governmental military organization (i.e. rebel groups)
 * 3) The youngest child soldiers are around 7 years old -- their guns are probably taller than they are.
 * 4) Children in armed conflicts (1990s)
 * 2 million killed
 * 4 -5 million disabled
 * 12 million left homeless
 * 1 million orphaned or separated from their parents
 * 10 million psychologically traumatized