UN Matters
Protecting the Rights of Children
by Jennifer Butler
 More
than 300,000 children under 18 are drafted to armed conflict
in more than thirty countries worldwide. The United Nations has
taken several steps to address conscription of children into
battle. The new International Criminal Court (ICC) will be a
permanent court established to try individuals who commit the
most serious international crimes such as genocide, torture,
mass rape of civilians or other crimes against humanity; a pending
Rome Statute of the ICC establishes the conscription of children
under the age of fifteen into armed forces as a war crime. In
addition, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),
open for ratification in 1990, seeks to protect children from
involvement in hostilities up to the age of fifteen.
The United States has not yet ratified the CRC or the Statute
for the International Criminal Court.
Contact the Presbyterian United Nations Office to participate
in a letter writing campaign to call on the US government to
ratify the CRC and support children's rights at the upcoming
United Nations Special Session on Children.
Jennifer Butler is the associate for global issues at the
Presbyterian United Nations Office in New York.
For more information, contact Presbyterian UN Office
777 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017
212/697-4568
jenbutler@presbyun.org
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