Name: Nadya Alma Tusada

Committee: The United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

Country: Cameroon, Africa
Topic: The Involvement of Child Soldiers in War

The involvement of children in the military has been happening for the last 3 decades. The child
soldiers are kids and they recruited the soldier team are boy or girl who can joined under 18 years
old. Some child soldiers are being the fighter, spies, messengers, cooks, and some of them being used
for sexual exploitation. Many child soldiers are joining the military because they will get a better
threat and some of them are joining the military because the circumstances of their living area which
is in a conflict area zone or their family pursue them have to get involve in the military. But some
children volunteering themselves to join the soldiers because they think it will protect them and to
take revenge for violence against their relatives also the depression for do not have a chance to see a
bright future.

The recruitment of child soldiers in Africa has become point of problem since 1975 causes of civil
conflicts. The possibility to recruit children because the personality of children or adolscent whom
under 18 are still being formed, they easily tend to be controlled. In the conflict area, one of main
recruitment methods are the military use violence to take the kids from their family and even used
abduction.

In 1997, non-government (NGO) working group on the convention of the human right of child col-
laboration with UNICEF conducted a congress in Cape town, South Africa to discussed strategies for
preventing recruitment to children, especially under 18 years old, and helping the children to reunited
with their family.

The non-government (NGO) working group has a campaign in 2000, with big scale priority. The
theme is about Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Human Rights of the Child on the Involve-
ment of Children in Armed Conflict, had been declared kids under 18 is prohibited to works in the
conflict area and recruit by military. This declaration is signed more than 132 member countries.
Adopted from the congress in 1997, the Paris Commitments Declaration is to protect children from
unlawful recruitment or use by armed forces or armed groups is entry force in February 2007. The
Cameroon has signed in 2001, and ratified in 2003.

As part of Central Africa, Cameroon itself has civil conflict with the biggest terrorism group in Africa,
Boko Haram. After the war declaration by The Cameroon Government against Boko Haram in Paris
Summit 2014, Boko Haram attacked Cameroon and make Cameroon as a target.

Cameroon National Security Forces, due to CRC Article 37 pertaining to abiterary arrest and deten-
tion have arrested hundreds of adults and children in the Far North region for suspected association
with Boko Haram, or to prevent them from joining or being recruited by the group. Boko Haram has
accused recruit the adult and children from North region, abducted and brainwashed in one of
Qur’anic school they change it to be training camp and the children in Qur’anic school were detained
in the Institution Camerounaise de l’Enfance in Maroua, run by the Ministry of Social Affairs. They
have been realesed from the center camp after no one recognise the children get a bad threated. In
past few years has become safe place for fleeing from other country such as Central Africa Republic,
Nigeria, and Chad, despite of on going attacked from Boko Haram, Cameroon have more than
324.000 refugees. Though many refugees fleed to Cameroon, it has many areas that still lack of re-
sources both natural resources and human resources. United Nation International Children’s Emer-
gency Fund (UNICEF) is trying to solve and find the right solution by acknowledge the problem.
UNICEF has been aware the negative impact that causes by poverty and lack of educational program
which are almost countries in Africa facing about.
Supported by UNICEF, the nation of Cameroon also agree this is the urgent situation and need much
help from other member states and believes that by establishing with UN partnership and support the
past and ongoing program could building environment protection, especially for children. Cameroon
has 3 main solutions:
1. Cooperate with other UN-related to human rights, such as the United Nations Human Rights Coun-
cil (UNHRC) and take firm action against perpetrators of violence and kidnapping or recruitment
children to a military.
2. Assisting the Children soldiers after realize from the armed forces, provide the children for trau-
matizing healing before back to the society to prevent rejection from the community and return them
to their family, this program also will monitoring the children after back to society and preventing
them to back again.
3. Enhancing consolidation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Cameroon
government will accept the refugees from neighbor countries and give them safe places to protecting
them from radically armed forces. And give them training skill also psychological support.
Sources
1. https://www.cameroononline.org/cameroon-govt-blames-opposition-separatists-for-live-streamed-prison-
riot/
2. https://www.child-soldiers.org/News/children-attacked-recruited-abused-in-conflict-as-contentious-un-
list-of-shame-reveals-worst-global-offenders
3. https://www.unicef.org/emerg/files/Cape_Town_Principles(1).pdf
4. https://www.unicef.org/cameroon/english/protection.html
5. https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/central-africa/cameroon/q-boko-haram-cameroon
6. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27451966
7. https://www.accord.org.za/conflict-trends/understanding-recruitment-child-soldiers-africa/
8. https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/children-faced-with-unspeakable-violence-in-conflict-as-number-
of-grave-violations-increased-in-2017/
9. CRC_Submission_on_Cameroon_FINAL