Protecting children from the impact of armed conflict

Baffor Amoa, Laurence Bropleh and Radhika Coomaraswamy at a panel on children affected by armed conflict. Photo: L. Selde/CWS

July 17, 2006

July 2006 marks the one-year anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1612, which affirmed the importance of protecting children in situations of armed conflict.

A panel was organized by the World Council of Churches to mark the anniversary, and was chaired by Laurence Bropleh of the WCC UN Office. The panelists included the Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy, and Baffour Amoa, Secretary General of the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in West Africa.

Ms. Coomaraswamy described the process established to monitor the situation of children in areas of armed conflict, which seeks to ensure that the words of the Resolution truly have an impact on the lives of the children affected around the world. She further affirmed the importance of the faith community in not only giving comfort to those affected but bringing their moral voice to the global stage on behalf of these suffering children.

Mr. Amoa, a member of the CWS Education and Advocacy Program Committee, spoke of the work of the churches in conflict zones in the region. Noting that churches had brought the warring parties in Liberia to the peace table, he called for a continued effort to reduce the proliferation of small arms which fuel the violence in these regions and impact so severely the lives of children.

Those in attendance viewed the short film, “A Duty to Protect: Justice for Child Soldiers in the D.R.C.”, which highlights the stories of young people pulled into war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The disturbing vignettes provided a somber reminder of the need for the global community to redouble its efforts on behalf of these children.