Mr. Speaker, a growing number of children are directly involved in armed conflict as deliberate targets and as child soldiers.
The record of the past decade is grim. Close to two million children have been killed in armed conflict; more than four million children disabled; over one million children orphaned; over 300,000 girls and boys serving in armies and rebel groups as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers, spies and labourers; 12 million children homeless; and over 10 million children psychologically scarred by the trauma of abduction, detention, sexual assault and witnessing the brutal murder of family members.
The situation of children in armed conflict is worse today than it was 50 years ago when the Declaration of Universal Human Rights was signed. Today 90% of the casualties of war are civilian, mostly women and children, whereas it was only 48% in the second world war and 5% in the first world war.
Children usually become soldiers through coercion, either through mandatory conscription or forced recruitment. Child soldiers overwhelmingly are recruited from the poorest and most marginalized sectors of society. Particularly vulnerable are children without families or with disrupted family backgrounds. Coercion aside, children may join the military for security, food or medical care. The military may offer children the only path to wages to support themselves or their families.
The use of children in armed conflict is global in nature. It is a far greater problem than suggested by the scant attention it has received. The use of child soldiers violates international norms.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed in 1989 and ratified by all but two nations, establishes 15 years as the minimum recruitment age. In fact, most countries have endorsed an optional protocol that boosts the minimum combat age to 18 years. However, in the face of armed conflict, military units in some nations, whether governmental or rebel, often pay little attention to age.
International silence about the abuse of children must change. The welfare of the world's children merits special priority in Canada's human security agenda.
Children are the most vulnerable group. The experience of children during their early years affects them for life. It will affect their families as well as their own future. We simply cannot afford to let the current situation continue if we value our own future.
In February the Minister of Foreign Affairs addressed the UN security council on the impact of conflict on civilians. He outlined Canada's approach to this very serious issue. In light of this, could the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlight what Canada is doing to protect civilians in armed conflict and in particular children?