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| Afghanistan |
| Govt Agrees to Dismiss Underage Recruits |
| 2011-01-31 |
| [Tolo News] A high-ranking Afghan official said Sunday that all underage conscripts would be removed out of Afghan cops over a year. The Afghan government signed an agreement with the UN to stop the recruitment of children into its police forces and also to remove underage recruits within Afghan cops. In a UN report last year Afghanistan was listed among one of the countries with child soldiers. "This is not only the responsibility of the government but the entire community should work together for the protection of all children in Afghanistan," said Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rasoul. Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society special envoy to Afghanistan, called the agreement a big step toward a better future for Afghan children. "We all know and we see it every day and unfortunately for the last thirty years, children in Afghanistan have been suffering," said de Mistura. Radhika Coomaraswamy, special representative of the UN's secretary general for children and conflict, called on the Afghan government to step up serious efforts in this regard. "We truly welcome the political commitment of the government to enter into this action plan," she said. After the Taliban regime was toppled, there were expectations that children's lives in Afghanistan would improve dramatically, but still children live the most difficult lives while a large number of them are killed and maimed as well as sexually abused. |
| Posted by:Fred |