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157 Supporters

Created by kathrine, lindsey, bronwynn, shannon, dieter csumb on April 12, 2005, 8:52 pm

To the Ambassadors of Colombia, Cuba, and Indonesia:

Your Excellency,

I am deeply concerned that, according to recent reports, parties to armed conflict in at least 22 countries may be recruiting or using children as soldiers, or are at serious risk of doing so. The United Nations Security Council, of which your state is a member, has taken decisive action to end this practice. However, to date, your government has not yet ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, an essential step toward stopping child recruitment.

The Optional Protocol, which came into force on 12 February 2002 and by October 2004 had been signed by 117 states and ratified by 85, sets 18 as the minimum age for participation in hostilities and for compulsory recruitment by government forces, and for any recruitment or use in hostilities by non-governmental armed groups. It also calls on states to raise the minimum age for voluntary recruitment, and to implement strict safeguards for voluntary recruitment under 18.

I urge your government to ratify the Optional Protocol, without reservations and to setting 18 as the minimum age for all forms of military recruitment, as an essential step toward ending the use of children as soldiers.

Sincerely,
      


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Petition Signatures


157 11 Jul 2008 - 9:26    Raphael : I support this petition.
156 10 Jul 2008 - 10:21    cb : I support this petition. children are the hope of the world. they deserve to be respected and loved and cared....
155 22 May 2008 - 1:00    Hannah Chapman :
154 17 Jan 2008 - 1:47    Iris :
153 29 Oct 2007 - 12:03    bobby :
152 30 Aug 2007 - 17:38    reavelyn :
151 13 Jul 2007 - 5:53    Tania :
150 1 Jun 2007 - 3:24    Rob : Children have no place on any battlefield. Let them live and enjoy life.
149 27 Apr 2007 - 20:41    Erica :
148 21 Feb 2007 - 19:47    Joseph Littell :
147 21 Feb 2007 - 6:23    Greg Newman :
146 13 Feb 2007 - 1:47    Ray Johnson :
145 13 Feb 2007 - 0:56    Janet Johnson :
144 12 Feb 2007 - 23:42    Steve Johnson : I think this is a horrible atrocity. I'll support anything that will hopefully work towards ending it.
143 12 Feb 2007 - 23:42    Steve Johnson : I think this is a horrible atrocity. I'll support anything that will hopefully work towards ending it.
142 19 Apr 2006 - 0:46    Chynna : I support this petition. I am a child and I wouldn't like it to happen to me!
141 12 Apr 2006 - 1:36    Colin Neiburger : No one should ever go to war. Children need to be protected from all acts of violence.
140 30 Mar 2006 - 1:21    Michael : I support this petition.
139 30 Mar 2006 - 1:11    Katharine : I support this petition. Child soldiers are unethical and stupid.
138 28 Mar 2006 - 4:05    Monica : I support this petition.Making children fight is just wrong.
137 22 Mar 2006 - 23:55    me : This is not a possibility in the current future, since in war zones it is often tribals who use child soldiers and the Indonesians, Columbians and Cubans and their respective governments have no control over this. Yet I agree that where it is possible we should stop the use of children as soliders, but the Americans do it, look at you state in Iraq, 16 or 17 year old boys and girls dying.Perhaps you should be doing something more feasable, stop the American army sending off impoversihed youngsters to Iraq, I saw Farenheit 9/11 in places like Michigan the poorest (usually black or white country people) have very few other choices at their disposal. I do support you though.
136 22 Mar 2006 - 5:13    Laura : I support this petition.
135 21 Mar 2006 - 17:59    Pete : Children take bullets easily. Good soldiers.
134 18 Mar 2006 - 17:22    Maria Esperanza Garcia : I support this petition.
133 18 Mar 2006 - 2:56    Christy : I support this petition.
132 12 Mar 2006 - 8:45    Amy Bartleson : I support this petition.
131 11 Mar 2006 - 19:16    tristan : I support this petition.
130 3 Mar 2006 - 1:19    Tarah : War is bad enough without kids being used as weapons.
129 27 Feb 2006 - 18:40    Aaron McClellan : Children aren't soldiers, they do not deserve their innocence to be shattered so early.
128 26 Feb 2006 - 14:42    cam : I support this petition.
127 26 Feb 2006 - 14:38    ld : I support this petition.
126 24 Feb 2006 - 17:07    eilidh : I support this petition
125 16 Feb 2006 - 21:25    catriona : the world is cruel and has many consiquences children and any people for that matter but it is even more sick and twisted to do something like that to children and it should be stopped now
124 16 Feb 2006 - 21:17    Eilidh : making children fight is really really unfair and should be stopped straight away
123 11 Feb 2006 - 2:09    Julia Krueger : I support this petition.
122 31 Jan 2006 - 14:15    Stephanie : I support this petition.
121 30 Jan 2006 - 22:42    Erika Schaum : I support this petition. Please stop forever altering these childrens lives with your unethical actions.
120 29 Jan 2006 - 8:28    Monica Maldonado : I support this petition.
119 28 Jan 2006 - 11:14    Blaine : I support this petition. Soldiers should be at least age 21.
118 23 Jan 2006 - 4:44    Elyse Rookyard : I support this petition.
117 19 Jan 2006 - 18:44    Jessica : I support this petition. End this once and for all.
116 17 Jan 2006 - 23:12    Erin : lets work together to put an end to this!
115 9 Jan 2006 - 4:47    Aaron : I support this petition.
114 8 Jan 2006 - 7:26    Stephanie : Children shouldnt be fighting in wars, they should be playing with toys and getting educated.
113 22 Dec 2005 - 17:35    Tracy korkuc : I support this petition.
112 19 Dec 2005 - 10:13    Paula : I support this petition.
111 18 Dec 2005 - 6:59    Kelly D : I support this petition.
110 14 Dec 2005 - 12:57    tinaD : let children be children
109 13 Dec 2005 - 8:23    ^_^ : I support this petition. Children should be children.
108 5 Dec 2005 - 21:28    Ruth Patten :
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