Edition 4

Edition 4 / Edition no. 4

presented by Dwayne and Secret

Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to thank you for the opportunity to let us voice our ideas and opinions involving war-affected children in this international setting. Being able to work with experts from around the world not only motivated us to make a difference, but also gave us concrete ideas of how to start. We would like to put our words into action by creating an international organization of youth responsible to support the implementation of the recommendations made here regarding children and youth affected by war. With political and financial support from governments and NGOs, our recommendations would become realities. During this conference we met with Minister Minna who indicated her support for this project. Last night we met with Mr. Otunnu, who discussed our participation in a movement for the protection of war-affected children. This would include children-to-children networks, advocacy campaigns and a youth advisory council that would provide advice and support to his office. We can see that the time has come for co-operation between the youth and adults on the issue of war affected children. Let’s make it possible for the voice of children to be heard in the global community. This organization could do this through activities such as lobbying, pressuring governments and running campaigns to adopt better policies concerning children and war. In addition to these tactics we would also like to use resources that are currently available to create a worldwide network of youth which will be focussed on this issue, and determined to make life better for those who are suffering. Holding discussions and workshops to educate children regarding their rights, advising and facilitating program development and identifying priorities for research are some examples of what the youth can do if the opportunity would be given. Your support will not only help to implement article 12 of the convention on the right of the child, but will also set an example for other nations to put youth participation into practice. By working together we will be one step closer to war prevention and peace building. During the past week we’ve seen and heard stories from the young victims of war. We are tired of only being the victims, we want to be the ones who make a difference. A change must be made. We urge experts and organizations to work with us in making this project become our reality.

The Wrecked Futures of Children; Child Soldiers

Diana and Grace, MB

A child soldier is a child who is recruited in the military and is under 18 years according to the UN’s children’s convention. There are an estimated 300,000 child soldiers. A series of 24 case studies on child soldiers, covering conflicts over the past 30 years, makes it clear that tens of thousands of children (many under the age of 10) have been recruited by armies around the world. In Sri Lanka, of 180 Tamil Tiger Guerillas killed in one government attack, more that half were still in their teens, and 128 were girls. Children should be able to go to school and get an education. Instead, in the war zone areas, children are taught how to become soldiers. " I did learn some things when I was with the rebels. I learnt how to shoot, how to lay antipersonnel mines and how to live on the run. I especially knew how to use an AK47 twelve-inch, which I could dismantle in less than one minute. When I turned 12, they gave me an RPG, because I had proved myself in battle." States a 19 year old, male ex-abductee from the Gulu District of Northern Uganda.* This is just an example of what goes on in terms of education for children in the war countries. Those children need help, and they need it now before it is too late. What future do children have without "real" education? They need to go to school in order to learn, otherwise their future is ruined.

* Source: Stavrou and Stewart, "The Re-Integration of Child Soldiers and Abductees: A Case Study of Palaro and Pabbo, Gulu District, Northern Uganda." Sept. 2000.

Optional Protocol: a Call to Action

Rizza, MB

On Thursday, September 14, a meeting was held at the International Conference concerning the usage of child soldiers in war-affected countries. The main topic brought up was the "Optional Protocol". The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers wants states to sign the Optional Protocol to establish 18 as the universal minimum age for any form of military recruitment. The Coalition is concerned that states are not upholding their commitment to the protocol, and made the recommendation to penalize such states. So far 68 countries have signed the Optional Protocol, and 59 of those 68 just signed last week. Canada is one of the countries to sign this agreement, but they still have children as young as 16 doing military work. The Coalition is still waiting for the United States to sign the protocol - the US allows children from the age of 17 to join in military action.

Facts

- At least 300,000 children- girls as well as boys &endash; under the age of 18 are currently taking part in wars.

- Most child soldiers are between 15 and 18 years of age, but significant recruitment starts at the young age of 10.

- Girls are recruited also, often forcibly, though in smaller number than boys. The girls are tend to be used as cooks and/or used to serve in combat duties.

Youth Recommendations

Some of the recommendations regarding child soldiers proposed by the delegates at the International Conference on War-Affected Children include:

- The UN should enforce the law regarding child soldiers

- Children need to be educated so they are not as easily mislead

- Employment should be available for child soldiers so that they are not tempted to return to war.

- Education and training for child soldiers returning from war should be provided.

Actions Youth Can Take

Proposed by youth delegates at the International Conference on War-Affected Children:

- Youth don’t need to wait for the government. They can lead the way and pressure the government to take action.

- Young people can organize themselves to take action and create networks for youth as a medium for contact.

- Youth should be willing to learn and help make the learning process more attractive to other young people.

- The international community should support youth for education by aiding them financially.

- Create programs for community awareness creation when child soldiers are being used. Every child should be aware of what their rights are (through school).

- Youth can distribute and create posters and leaflets so that children can understand their own rights (in different languages). Every child should have a copy of their rights in their own language.

Krista, ON

What can the media do for people in war zones? More importantly, what should they be doing? That was the topic of discussion for the morning panel on September 14, 2000 at the International Conference on War-Affected Children. The first speaker was Kwasi Appenteng. Kwasi believes that the media could affect the outcome of a conflict, but are often ignored or taken for granted. Not only should the media be active participants in conflict situations by spreading information and telling the true story, but they are also critical to conflict resolution. Using local languages and creative ways to present the information would promote awareness in conflict areas about what is happening. Kwasi also believes that a conscious shift in the mentality and function of the media is needed. There needs to be a new emphasis placed on human rights &endash; they are often not considered "sexy" and are therefore not popular news topics. Children’s rights, according to Kwasi, should be especially emphasized, and morals and ethics need to be discussed more in the media. An additional problem that Kwasi brought up is that in some countries, the state controls the information and is used too often as a source of information by the media. The next person to speak was Gordana, a Bosnian who is now part of the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. Gordana mentioned both positive and negative aspects of media coverage. On the positive side, she told two stories of girls during the war in Bosnia and how the media aw areness of their lives had motivated many people to help the Bosnians during the war in that region. On the negative side, she spoke about how journalists often try to hide some facts to make the story "digestible" but how she felt it was important to write about the realities of war. The third and final speaker was Shelley Saywell, who creates documentaries as an independent filmmaker. Saywell said that there is less interest in documentaries because many people are not interested in exploring the stories they hear on the news in-depth. She also spoke of what she calls "compassion fatigue," when people hear too much of a story and don’t feel any sympathy for it anymore. The morning’s discussion ended with a period where audience members, who were mainly part of the media, were given the chance to ask questions about the speeches and experiences of the speakers. The discussion continued in the afternoon.

What Actions Youth Can Take

- Letters to editors, radio stations (ie. Talk radio), television stations, etc. to make the media know that we want to hear about these issues!

- Youth should endeavour to make the issues known in their own countries and around the world (ie. Through youth media organizations).

- Encourage major media organizations to have a youth reporter / youth voice represented in their reporting.

Youth Recommendations

- Media content should be regulated so as to ensure that international issues are more likely to be reported.

- Media led by youth should be created and supported in conflict situations and that information should be broadcasted throughout the world.

- Media should remain impartial in reporting on the issues.

- Information should be readily available to all citizens of countries so that they are aware of what is going on in their nation.

- Governments should not be allowed to censor the media.

- Reports on conflicts should be better researched and not far-fetched.

- The media should not give out information that may endanger the security or safety of youth; their safety needs come first, not the stories.

- Less restrictions should be placed on media reporting about youth issues in war-affected countries.

- More attention should be placed on children on children in war-affected countries.

Laura, ON

This past week, the youth media team has done an amazing job of organizing both French and English workshops on war affected children, which they presented to Winnipeg high schools students with the goal of creating awareness and promoting understanding of what goes on in conflict-affected countries. In small groups, they traveled to different schools to talk about military weapons, landmines, and several disturbing statistics, which often shocked the majority of the students. During these workshops, they asked the students to draw pictures of their perspectives on war, visualize themselves in war-affected areas, and answer multiple choice questions about money spent on military weapons and percentages of young children affected by war. "Once they started hearing the facts and learning more about it, their faces dropped," explains Courtney, a 16 year old student at Elmwood High. "Most kids don’t watch the news so they don’t really know what’s going on." Although this may be the case, many youth claim that the media doesn’t cover half of what’s going on in the world. "The media wants a gritty story and will only cover things they know people want to hear about," explains Destiny, who is also a Winnipeg student attending St. Johns High school. Several of the presentations including a slide show consisting of pictures taken at the National Youth Forum and during the International conference. Some of the pictures showed youth creating silhouettes, which were decorated to represent the physical and emotional scars of children who are victims of war. Other pictures showed the media team interacting with ministerial leaders, getting active online, and interacting with other youth from around the world. "Because of doing the workshops," says Jenna, a 16 year old who traveled from Sioux Lookout, Ontario for the conference, "we know that future youth are more informed and hopefully will get involve to create a brighter future for us all."

We’re gonna F-I-G-H-T

for the P-E-A-C-E,

We’re gonna fight for the rights of the children of the war …

GOOOOOO YOUTH!

Armando, ON, Ryann, ON
On Thursday, September 14th, the youth went to a delicious dinner and discussion with Olara Otunnu, Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General of the UN, at the brand-new Thunderbird House in Winnipeg. "I think it’s very important for young people to believe in themselves," said Olara while discussing with the youth ideas and issues on the topic of war-affected children. During the discussion, youth were able to express themselves and to ask questions. Mr. Otunnu clearly believes that this Winnipeg conference is an opportunity for youth to create a movement that will take the words of youth and turn them into actions. To the youth, Mr. Otunnu’s proposals are a positive piece of the conference puzzle. With Olara Otunnu’s power in the UN, charisma, and desire to put these proposals into action, youth of the world can look forward to a better future.

Krista, ON

Diamonds have been recognized for centuries as symbols of beauty and purity, and have earned the title "A girl’s best friend." However, as Olara Otunnu mentioned at his dinner with youth on September 14, there is a darker side to these gemstones as well. Less people are aware of this, but these stones have resulted in immense devastation across Africa. Conflict diamonds, also known as blood diamonds, are diamonds that originate from areas where they are under the control of a group fighting the legitimate government of that country. Such is the case in countries such as Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rebel armies sell the diamonds for food and arms for their troops, and the trade is very profitable. In Sierra Leone, the diamonds sold by the rebel army have financed the killing, displacement and mutilation of millions of people. Similar acts of cruelty have taken place in Angola and Congo, also by armies supported by conflict diamonds. During the first war in Angola, the leader of the UNITA rebel organization gained $4 billion, some of which was used to finance another war. Only an approximate 4% of diamonds originate from areas of war, but this percentage represents an incredibly lucrative business for those in control. While the international community can limit the purchase of diamonds from the country in conflict, it is difficult to stop the smuggling of blood diamonds to neighbouring countries where they are traded as having come from that country. Diamonds all have Certificates of Origin stating where they come from, and according to international agreements, a rough diamond should have the same Certificate of Origin regardless of how often it is traded before becoming a polished stone. Diamonds from areas of conflict are given incorrect Certificates of Origin. Progress has been made in halting the illegal diamond trade. A method of diamond "fingerprinting" is being developed in Canada that can identify the diamond’s precise origin. This will make it more difficult for smuggled diamonds to go unnoticed. De Beers, the company that controls about 70% of the world diamond market, has said it will guarantee that none of its diamonds come from war zones. While the issue of conflict diamonds has recently been gaining more recognition internationally, there is still much to be done in stopping the problem and in halting the trade of these stones. People must be aware of what is happening and they must consider potential diamond purchases much more carefully. Action can be taken by spreading awareness of the problem so diamond buyers can make the right decisions and properly research the stone they are buying. Letters can be written to companies selling diamonds to pressure them to ensure that the diamonds do not originate from conflict situations.

Natalie , MB
Sanctions. The very word makes most of the delegates at the International Conference on War-Affected Children cringe. "When sanctions were imposed on my country (Iraq), we had no paper, no pens. All the doctors left because there was no medicine and they weren’t getting paid," says Ewar, a 17-year-old teenager from Iraq who now lives in Canada. "There are better ways of doing things, sanctions aren’t fair". What is the Canadian government doing to stop the impact of sanctions on people? Not enough say many. "Sanctions shouldn’t even be legal. With them, you hurt your own people instead of helping them; it becomes a vicious cycle" said one delegate. "The government should influence Saddam Hussein through other methods". On September 13, 2000 a protest opposing the sanctions on Iraq was organised outside Fort Garry Hotel, where meetings for the International Conference were taking place. Many youth delegates wished to join them to show their support for the protest. It is clear that sanctions are a very controversial issue. Fortunately, economic sanctions are one of the issues being discussed here this week. Many youth believe they are wrong, but at least at this conference they have opportunities to try to make changes by voicing their opinions. Otheractions can also be taken to stop sanctions and prevent their long lasting effects. And maybe one day the gentle looking wolf that is attacking Iraq will give way to a nation of fairness and peace.