Child soldiers

Several institutions have worked in the framework of reducing the amount of child soldiers, but that has been most prominent is UNICEF, which has worked hard in collaboration with other organizations like the UN to stop this drama. The UN held a number of optional protocols, conferences and letters in order to reduce the number of child soldiers as well as punish those who collaborate with this situation.
A major international conference entitled "Free Children from War", was organized in Paris on 5 and 6 February 2007. Fifty-eight countries, represented especially by dozens of ministers and donors, the heads of UN agencies and many nongovernmental organizations attended the meeting co-organized by the French government and UNICEF.

At this meeting, 58 governments have adopted and are committed to the principles contained in two documents. The Paris Commitments "contain a series of legal and operational principles needed to protect children from recruitment or use in armed conflict. The full text of legal and political mechanisms in place. The "Paris Principles" is a more detailed document providing a wide range of principles governing the protection of children from recruitment or use in armed conflict, their release and reintegration into civilian life. The Principles also address the need for prevention strategies in the long term to put a definitive end to the involvement of children in armed conflict.

This meeting was the culmination of a process of 18 months to review the "Cape Town Principles on the prevention of child recruitment into armed forces, demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers in Africa" which was adopted by non-governmental organizations at a conference in Cape Town in 1997.

The review process was piloted by UNICEF and was based on experience gained in the UN staff, NGOs and other professionals. The Coalition was closely involved in the drafting of the Paris