In Morocco, Africa stands united against child soldiers

The African Ministerial Conference on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) of child soldiers, held Thursday in Rabat, was crowned with the adoption of a joint statement, pledging to combat the recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts.

The Rabat Declaration, endorsed by participating African Ministers and Heads of delegations, is a collective African response to a scourge which continues in the Continent despite several international initiatives to stop the recruitment of child soldiers.

The text expresses deep concern over the continued serious violations committed against children, including forced recruitment, sexual violence, abduction, and the obstruction of access to education and humanitarian assistance.

The Declaration stresses the importance of prevention and called for strengthening community resilience, the establishment of early-warning mechanisms, and the fight against the roots of child soldiers’ recruitment including a combination of factors such as poverty, social and political instability, conflict-related drivers, and children vulnerability.

The document insists on backing programs combining psychosocial support, family reunification, social inclusion, schooling, economic empowerment and reconciliation within communities.

The Rabat Declaration calls for strengthening regional and international cooperation, highlighting the central role of African organizations, local communities and civil society in prevention, protection and reintegration efforts for children associated with armed forces and groups.

The text says peacebuilding and post-conflict processes should integrate child protection and calls for elaborating an African convention dedicated to preventing the recruitment of child soldiers and supporting their reintegration in society.

During the conference, Morocco sounded the alarm bell against the recruiters of child soldiers, especially terrorist groups, alluding to the Algeria-backed Polisario militias which use children in conflict zones.

The North African Kingdom has stressed the need to work out an African legal instrument to combat the scourge of child soldiers.