Almost half of Afghanistan's 8,000 child soldiers have been demobilized and are receiving educational and vocational programs aimed at preparing them to rejoin their community, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday. Edward Carwardine, UNICEF spokesman said that a total of 3,998 children- all boys aged between 14-17 — have been demobilized in 15 provinces in north, northeast and central Afghanistan since the program started in February. The UNICEF also said that it is hoping to carry out its activities in the south and southeast Afghanistan, the most dangerous parts of the country.
It estimates that there are about 8,000 child soldiers in Afghanistan and says that most of them forcibly joined the fighting in the recent years of the conflict. One of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's top priorities is converting fighters into productive citizens, especially children who have missed on years of education. "These young people- despite denied the chances that most children have in their formative years- have demonstrated that they want to make a positive contribution to the development of their communities," reported the UNICEF project office, in charge of the child soldiers in the war-torn country. |