Children in the firing line

[dArKeR]

Children are being recruited and used as soldiers "on a massive scale" around the world, with groups in 15 countries handing weapons to youngsters in armed conflict, according to a UN report issued on Friday.

Despite international efforts to ensure that children under the age of 18 do not take part in hostilities, the report names 22 new groups fighting in Burundi, Colombia, Congo, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Myanmar, Sudan and Uganda that have been found to be recruiting or using children as fighters.

Groups in seven other countries -- Afghanistan, Nepal, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Russia's Chechen Republic, Somalia and Sri Lanka -- are also giving weapons to youngsters, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in the report to both the General Assembly and the Security Council.

"Children continue to be the main victims of conflicts," the report said. "Children are killed, made orphans, maimed, abducted, deprived of education and health care, and left with deep emotional scars and trauma. ... Refugees and internally displaced children are especially vulnerable to violence, recruitment, sexual
exploitation, disease, malnutrition and death."

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=23258

I guess Bush will get a poll boost from this too!

We have never had such a disgraceful leader who the media portrays as an intelligent person. Not even Reagan would allow these things to happen!

I'm really not sure on my stand on religion but I can tell you absolutely 100%. If there is a God then Bush is an agent of Satan. I completely believe this.

[LittleApple81]

1. I dislike * but I don't see his direct connection with this? n/t

[dArKeR]

3. As the world changes and years pass the President is responsible to

address new or newly aware issues. (I believe the terrorism issue was made by them to keep themselves in power.) This child soldier issue is real, unacceptable and it should be given world attention by the country that is supposed to stand for morality and hope. The President of the United States should be leading this issue and uses his resources to address this issue.

We can debate that the US is 50%, or greater, responsible for this in the first place but there's no debate, in my mind, wether the Pres. of the US could stop it.

How could every backpacker carrying a Lonely Planet book, and every business person landing in the Philippines know how, where and hom much to get a child prostitute? But yet our Pres. Bush has no idea this is going on in the PI and pronounces the PI is 'the model for all of Asia to follow.' Our CIA, FBI, State Dept... have no idea this is going on? Why shouldn't they know this when everyone else does? And if you need me to I'll take the CIA/FBI/Bush/60 Minutes to show you the child Prostitution dens next to Arroyo's office.

I personally don't know about Africa and South America but I know what a regime is. It's the same there too.

[jpgray]

2. What, was there some sort of fighting going in the Congo?

Why, the only war in recent times was Iraq. Surely it was the one with the most casualties!

(heavy sarcasm, or a guy who watches TV news)