Topic: Children and Armed Conflict
Country: China
Delegate Name: Kacey Lawniczak
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All China position papers GLIMUN 2009 committees
Children all around the globe have fought in armed conflict, and although the United Nations have passed resolutions to protect these children, children are still found at the front line in wars. Not only are children found at the front line, but they are also raped, molested, and killed by other soldiers, and most times there are no repercussions for the soldiers committing these crimes. The People’s Republic of China believes that children should not be found in any armed conflict, the killing, raping and molestation of these said children should be stopped immediately.
The People’s Republic of China calls for specific actions to keep children away from armed conflict. On March 15, 2001the People’s Republic of China signed a United Nations document that bans children under eighteen from participating in armed combat. There have also been other resolutions passed, including resolution 1882 that condemned "all violations of applicable international law involving the recruitment and use of children by parties to armed conflict." In August of 2000, a resolution was passed urging “member states to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.” The People’s Republic of China has signed this document, and will work to follow the resolution.
The People’s Republic of China not only opposes the use of children in armed conflict, but also the recruitment of children. Those who join a countries army should be of eighteen years of age, and that the when recruitment occurs the persons are of eighteen, and that the recruitment is genuinely voluntary, as according to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
China is not only concerned with the safety of children in our country, but we are also concerned with the violations committed against children in armed conflicts in some other nations. China supports any and all efforts by the United Nations to support the safety of children in armed conflict. China believes that the United Nations should continue to focus on international peace and security, to protect children from being harmed and killed in armed conflicts.
The People’s Republic of China believes that the United Nations and any efforts by the Security Council alone will not be able to solve the issue of children in armed conflict. We would like to support UNICEF and other worldwide organizations to assist other countries that that are concerned, prevent the involvement of children in armed conflict. Not only are children bring hurt directly from the wars, but in over thirty countries, children are being killed, kidnapped, and raped or beaten because of armed conflicts. The People’s Republic of China would once again like to insist countries in armed conflicts to protect the rights of their children, and we would like to urge these countries to sign the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The protection of children is, and has always been a central issue to the government of China.
