On 12 February 2002 the “Optional Protocol to the International Convention on the rights of the child” came into force. It obliges the States which are signatories not to employ minors under the age of 18 in armed conflicts. Since then the 12 February has been an occasion to draw the attention of the media and of Governments to the serious violations of children’s rights which are occurring on a daily basis.
Up to the present, 61 countries have not yet ratified the Protocol, and the latest official report of United Nations gives a figure of over 250,000 minors under the age of 18 (and some under the age of 10) who are still involved in armed conflicts, forced to enrol in the armed forces and to undergo experiences which, if they survive, scar them for the rest of their lives.
There are a number of national and international institutions engaged in stopping this exploitation of children. In 1998, some of these (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Terre des Hommes and various others) formed the “Coalition to stop the use of child soldiers” which every 12 February holds an awareness campaign called “Red Hand.”
The Salesians have launched several initiatives in the area of the rehabilitation of child soldiers: the “Mago Sales Foundation” is running a rehabilitation centre in Uganda; the “Don Bosco in the World Foundation” has one in Sri Lanka, and other centres are also operating in Colombia, Angola and other parts of the world.
Salesian activities also include the work of public awareness: the “Don Bosco in the World Foundation” is engaged in collecting funds and keeping the general public informed and involved in such projects as for example the campaign, “Free a child soldier,” in association with the sporting event “The Saints’ Run.” On its part, the “Mago Sales Foundation” has often brought the Italian television cameras inside its recovery centre.
Salesian activities in this area cannot but follow the words of Fr Juan Vecchi, Rector Major between 1996 and 2002: “As Salesians we have to be among the first in the campaign to give children the right to be children.”
Published 12/02/2010
