Child Soldiers

Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 01:12:12 -0500 (EST)

Dear All,

The information copied below asks you to call members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (or you could communicate with your Senators, asking them to relay the message to their colleagues on the Committee) to urge them to recommend to the Senate that it ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. The week of February 5-12 is national call-in week on child soldiers, but your call can be effective after this period. The dates appear to have been chosen because the Optional Protocol comes into effect today, February 12. (See http://www.child-soldiers.org/feb12navigator.html) So there is still time to call if you cannot do so today.
"I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children." This tragic image, from Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," captures the lives of some 300,000 children in the world today. Many of these child soldiers are forced into combat. Some are raped or made into sexual slaves. Children who are only beginning to learn how to live learn how to kill. In some conflicts, children have been forced to commit the most horrendous of acts. Children as young as 10 years old, already forced to join the rebel army in Sierra Leone, were further forced to torture, kill, and amputate people's limbs. (See H. Con. Res. 346, 106th Congress, 2nd session.) In Northern Uganda, children captured by a rebel group are forced to beat to death other children who try to escape. (See http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/11/newban1113.htm)
The Convention on the Rights of the Child prohibits parties to the treaty from recruiting children less than 15-years-old for their armed forces. The Optional Protocol, which any country can ratify, raises the age limit to 18. Importantly, it also requires parties to cooperate "in the prevention of any activity contrary to the Protocol and in the rehabilitation and social reintegration of persons who are victims of acts contrary to this Protocol, including through technical cooperation and financial assistance." (http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/childprotarmed.html)
President Clinton signed the Optional Protocol in July 2000, the Bush Administration supports it, both houses of Congress have adopted resolutions supporting the Protocol, and the U.S. military has agreed to support the policy. (See http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/crp/bush-letter.htm, http://www.us-childsoldiers.org/uscs/uspo.html) Now it is time for the Senate to turn this widespread agreement into action.
Besides spurring the U.S. military to change its own recruitment practices (but see http://www.us-childsoldiers.org/uscs/uspo.html), by ratifying the Protocol the United States will be able to credibly encourage other countries to ratify it. And as more countries ratify, the global norm against using child soldiers will strengthen. This will make it more difficult for countries, and possibly even rebel or other armed groups, to use child soldiers.
Also, the Protocol and the attention that comes with it may lead the United States and other countries to cooperate in trying to solve the problem of child soldiering even beyond their borders -- indeed, the Protocol requires this. If you communicate with your Senators or those on the Committee, encourage them to back increased U.S. support for programs that seek to prevent child recruitment and to rehabilitate and reintegrate into society child soldiers. (The House and Senate resolutions called for a law to establish a fund to rehabilitate and reintegrate child soldiers. See H. Con. Res. 348, 106th Congress, 2nd session.) You might also encourage your Senators to push for an end to military aid that supports governments or armed groups that use children as soldiers. (See http://www.us-childsoldiers.org/uscs/thec.html)
For more on child soldiers, see http://www.child-soldiers.org/news_updates/jobrg_presspack.html. Also, please see below for members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and other information. Help take the guns and sharp swords out of the hands of young children, and replace them with books in children's hands, sharp minds, and peace and love in their hearts. Thank you for your time.

Peace,

Eric

"I have only dreams: to build a better world, a world of harmony and understanding, a world in which it is a joy to live. This is not asking for too much." -- Yitzhak Rabin

"Don't say the day will come. Bring the day! Because it's not a dream." -- Shir LaShalom, Song for Peace

---------- Forwarded message ----------

National Call-In Week on Child Soldiers
February 5-12, 2002

Your messages are needed now! From February 5-12, please phone, fax or e-mail members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Help support the U.S. Campaign to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers! We ask advocates nationwide to contact members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee urging them to support U.S. ratification of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

This international treaty prohibits the forced recruitment or conscription of children under the age of 18, or their participation in armed conflict. The protocol has been signed by over 90 countries and ratified by 12. The United States has signed the protocol, and both the Bush Administration and nearly all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee support it. However, the U.S. has not yet ratified it.

Please contact members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on National Call-In Week on Child Soldiers. This is the committee that will recommend or not recommend ratification of the treaty.

Sample message: I'm calling to urge the Senator to support ratification of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The protocol will help stop the use of child soldiers around the world. Please make U.S. ratification a top priority for this session of Congress.

PLEASE CALL:

Democrats:PhoneFax
Joseph Biden, Del., chairman
senator@biden.senate.gov		202-224-5042202-224-0139
Paul Sarbanes, Maryland
http://sarbanes.senate.gov/pages/email.html		202-224-4524301-589-0598
Chris Dodd, Connecticut
senator@dodd.senate.gov		202-224-2823202-224-1083
John Kerry, Massachusetts
john_kerry@kerry.senate.gov		202-224-2742202-224-8525
Russell Feingold, Wisconsin
russell_feingold@feingold.senate.gov		202-224-5323 
Paul Wellstone, Minnesota
http://www.senate.gov/wellstone/webform.html		202-224-5641202-228-2570
Barbara Boxer, California
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/webform.html		202-224-3553 
Robert Torricelli, New Jersey
senator_tornicelli@torricelli.senate.gov		202-224-3224202-224-8567
Bill Nelson, Florida
senator@billnelson.senate.gov		202-224-5274407-872-7165
Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia
senator@rockefeller.senate.gov		202-224-6472202-224-9575
 
Republicans:PhoneFax
Jesse Helms, North Carolina, Ranking Minority Member
jesse_helms@helms.senate.gov		202-224-6342202-228-1339
Richard G. Lugar, Indiana
senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov		202-224-4814202-228-0360
Chuck Hagel, Nebraska
chuck_hagel@hagel.senate.gov		202-224-4224202-224-5213
Gordon Smith, Oregon
http://www.senate.gov/gsmith/webform.htm		202-224-3753202-228-3997
Bill Frist, Tennessee
http://frist.senate.gov/Contact/contact.html		202-224-3344202-228-1264
Lincoln D. Chafee, R.I.
senator_chafee@chafee.senate.gov		202-224-2921 
George Allen, Virginia
http://allen.senate.gov/email.html		202-224-4024202-224-5432
Sam Brownback, Kansas
sam_brownback@brownback.senate.gov		202-224-6521 
Mike Enzi, Wyoming
senator@enzi.senate.gov		202-224-3424202-228-0359
 
And your own senators! Capitol Switchboard, 202/224-3121.




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