(Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission) – Thank you to the co-chairs of the Lantos Human Rights Commission for holding this important briefing. It’s a pleasure to be here with my friend and collaborator, General Romeo Dallaire. I’ve worked on the issue of child soldiers for nearly 20 years, and during that time have seen both positive and negative developments. Some of the good news is that since 2000, over 100,000 child soldiers have been released or demobilized from armed groups and forces, the number of countries where children are actively fighting has dropped by a third over the last 20 years, and at least 26 governments and armed groups have signed UN action plans to end their use of child soldiers.
Combatting Child Soldiering: A Pernicious Form of Child Trafficking – Statement by Jo Becker, Human Rights Watch
New York, NY 10168
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