Siblings at war : children in armed conflict

Abstract

When I come across toys which remind me of my childhood, l remember my friends and the sun-lit alleys in which we used to play any kind of game ranging from the church service to the fashion show, or indeed the musical contest. I remember how in the evening our parents used to reach for their stools or collapsible chairs and keep a watchful eye on us while we played hide and seek on the road. I have fond memories of my serene and playful childhood. Unfortunately, this is not the case with most children around the world and the issue of armed conflicts sprouting here and there on the globe is an additional cause that is making the life of most of today's children, caught between their childhood and the throws of conflicts between adults, miserable. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was eventually adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 20 November l 989, fills a major gap, for hitherto children and young people had no legal rights before reaching the age of majority. This, moreover, is a time when growing numbers of them are deprived of parental protection and the security of a family, being literally thrown out on the streets as a result of wars, famines, catastrophes or population movements. More insidiously, others suffer as a result of economic changes, which tend to destroy community structures and marginalize the poorest and weakest sections of society.