Minister of National Defence video message for International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers 2021
Video / February 12, 2021
Transcript
February 12th is the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers—or Red Hand Day.
Since 2002, activists from across the globe, including other children and youth, have used Red Hand Day to shed light on the horrific fear and violence too many kids face in war…
And to call on us to do everything we can to protect vulnerable children from being recruited and forced to fight in conflicts created by adults.
Around the world, armed forces groups, terrorist organizations, gangs and organized crime rings use tens of thousands of girls and boys as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers or spies.
Many of these children are killed or seriously wounded.
And those who survive must live with physical and emotional scars.
Recruiting children as soldiers is an appalling abuse of their most fundamental rights.
The world must do more to protect them.
That’s why, in 2017, Canada launched the Vancouver Principles—a series of commitments for peacekeeping countries to help stop the recruitment and use of children as weapons of war.
Nearly 100 countries have endorsed these Principles over the last three years.
And, here in Canada, we’re working hard to put them into action whenever and wherever Canadians deploy as peacekeepers.
Through the Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security, Canadians are helping develop policies, doctrine, training and education around ending the use of child soldiers.
The centre is also doing great work researching early signs that children are being recruited, and what peacekeepers can do to keep them safe.
But, despite these efforts, the United Nations estimates that there are still 14 countries where children are still being exploited in this terrible way.
It has to stop.
We know it will take time, and overall concerted effort.
So we will keep fighting for what’s right, even if it’s not easy.
Because no child should ever be used as an instrument of war.
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