SITUATION OF CHILDREN IN MANY REGIONS REMAINS PRECARIOUS DUE TO POVERTY, CONFLICT, DISEASE, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD

Fifty-ninth General Assembly

Third Committee

18^th Meeting (PM)

SITUATION OF CHILDREN IN MANY REGIONS REMAINS PRECARIOUS DUE

TO POVERTY, CONFLICT, DISEASE, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD

Declaring that it was the flame burning in the heart of the child that would light future generations, the representative of Gabon called on the international community not to allow children’s hopes to be extinguished, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon continued its general discussion of the rights of the child.

The Declaration and Plan of Action for a “World Fit for Children”, adopted at the twenty-seventh special session of the General Assembly, had laid the foundation for a world in which all children would have equal opportunity for education, one in which they would be protected from exploitation, sickness and violence, he stressed.  Yet, despite the progress that had been made, the situation of children remained precarious in many regions due to challenges such as poverty, armed conflict and diseases such as HIV/AIDS.  There must be urgent action to transform children’s future prospects with all stakeholders working to implement the international convention related to children’s rights.

Algeria’s representative agreed that, while there had been progress in many areas, as cited in the report of the Secretary-General, the situation of children remained precarious in many countries, particularly in Africa.  Millions of children continued to live in sub-human conditions; restoring some measure of their dignity required ensuring their economic and social rights, including their right to development.  Access to education, health care, nutrition, drinkable water and shelter must be assured.  Armed groups must not be allowed to conscript children as soldiers, and children must be protected from trafficking as well as sexual and other forms of exploitation.

Noting that a negligible percentage of the nearly $900 billion squandered annually on war and weapons would solve the world’s inequalities, Cuba’s representative warned that the marvellous hope of children would dissipate before the eyes of the world if the current situation continued.  The only solution was to change the unjust international order to guarantee a better environment for developing countries’ economies, enabling them to generate the resources necessary to meet their children’s necessities of life.  A just and equitable international trade system with clear rules must be elaborated; external debt must be cancelled; and international commitments on official development assistance must be fulfilled.

Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Barbados’ representative warned that present global economic trends made meeting the target date for reducing poverty unlikely.  Further financial assistance and fresh new approaches were required to meet the original targets, yet the world’s children could wait no longer for action to be taken.  The CARICOM urged developed countries to move towards the target of 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) for official development assistance (ODA).  The Community also wished to stress the pressing need for additional funding and attention in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Speaking on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand (CANZ), Canada’s representative emphasized that enhancing the promotion and protection of those rights required mainstreaming children’s rights in all activities at both the national and international levels.  The participation of all stakeholders remained essential to combating the violation of children’s rights and ensuring adherence to international law.

Also addressing the Committee today were the representatives of Liechtenstein, Egypt, Viet Nam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Malaysia (on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)), Indonesia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Eritrea.

At the outset of today’s meetings, the representatives of South Africa, Chile, Portugal, United States, Italy and Mexico spoke in introduction of draft resolutions related to the ten-year review of the World Summit for Social Development and the General Assembly’s twenty-fourth special session, policies and programmes involving youth, the international law enforcement assistance network for combating the criminal misuse of information technologies, strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, and international cooperation against the world drug problem.

The Third Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 20 October, to continue its general discussion on the rights of the child.

Background

The Third Committee met this afternoon to continue its general discussion on the rights of the child.  For additional background information, please see Press Release GA/SHC/3786 of 18 October.

Introduction of Draft Resolutions

As the meeting opened, the Committee heard several introductions of draft resolutions, including a text on the Outcome of the ten-year review of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly (document A/C.3/59/L.16), introduced by the representative of South Africa.  The text’s primary purpose, he said, was to maintain the General Assembly’s engagement with this issue.  The ten-year review should in no way reopen negotiation on the commitments undertaken at Copenhagen or its five-year review, but should seek to elaborate action-oriented measures for implementation of existing outcomes.

Introducing a draft resolution (document A/C.3/59/L.17) on implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit and special session, the representative of Chile said the draft resolution had been formulated on the basis of recommendations contained in this year’s report of the Secretary-General, as well as those contained in previous reports.

The representative of Portugal introduced a draft resolution Policies and programmes involving youth (document A/C.3/59/L.18), noting that the purpose of the text was procedural.  It was intended to urge MemberStates, and relevant
non-governmental organizations, to send youth representatives to take part in next year’s events commemorating the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the World Programme of Action for Youth.

The representative of the United States introduced a draft resolution on the International law enforcement assistance network for combating the criminal misuse of information technologies (document A/C.3/59/L.20), explaining that the text aimed to expand the coverage of the Cybercrime Point of Contact Network, which had been established to enhance traditional methods of assistance in crimes involving networked communications and related technologies.

Introducing a draft resolution on Strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programmes, in particular its technical cooperation (document A/C.3/59/L.22), the representative of Italy stressed that there was a need to strengthen the Programme along the lines described in the report of the Secretary-General.  The text aimed to build upon the momentum gained by the coming into force of the Palermo Convention and two of its Protocols, and to ensure that predictable resources were provided to the Programme, thereby enabling it to respond to new challenges and to demands for technical assistance.

The representative of Mexico introduced a draft resolution on International cooperation against the world drug problem (document A/C.3/59/L.19), explaining that steps had been taken to rationalize the text from the previous year, and to update it to reflect current realities.  Care had been taken to agree on a text that reflected the concerns of all regions.  As negotiations continued to be ongoing, a finalized text would be submitted as soon as possible.

Statements on the Rights of the Child

FRANKLIN MAKANGA (Gabon) said the Declaration and Plan of Action adopted at the twenty-seventh special session of the General Assembly had laid the foundation for a “World Fit for Children”, in which all children would have equal opportunity for education and be protected from exploitation, sickness and violence.  As cited in the report of the Secretary-General, much progress had been made by States in that regard.  In his own country, the Parliament had recently adopted a law prohibiting trafficking in and exploitation of children.  Other bills before the Parliament sought to establish a Children’s Parliament and a National Centre to monitor children’s rights.

Among other initiatives, Gabon had worked with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to establish a fund for HIV/AIDS orphans and other children vulnerable to the pandemic, he said.  Gabon had also participated in several meetings on HIV/AIDS orphans at the regional level.

However, despite progress achieved, the situation of children remained precarious in many regions due to challenges such as poverty, armed conflict and diseases such as HIV/AIDS.  At a time when rivers of hate and blood flowed freely, children’s prospects diminished.  Yet, it was the flame burning in the heart of the child that would light the future; that flame must not be allowed to go out.  There must be urgent action to transform children’s future prospects, and international conventions on the rights of the child must be implemented by all stakeholders.

ANDREA HOCH (Liechtenstein) said her country had made clear progress in protecting children’s rights, including through adjustments to domestic law and the setting up of prevention and support mechanisms necessary to improve the protection of children from sexual abuse.  The criminal law related to sexual offences had also been tightened, and the penalty for sexual abuse of minors had been increased.  Child pornography and abuse abroad had been criminalized.  A revision to the Code of Criminal Procedure had been adopted to improve the protection of victims in criminal proceedings, taking the interests of young victims and victims of sexual offences into particular account, and an interdisciplinary expert group had been founded in 1999, which served as the primary contact point for professionals confronted with cases of sexual abuse.  That expert group had also been engaged in linking existing assistance systems and elaborating guidelines for those services’ effective cooperation.

She also cited other developments, including the current revision of the Youth Act, in which young people had actively participated, and the decision had been taken to send more youth delegates to international and European conferences.

Highlighting a recent United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report on child survival, she said it was shocking that the majority of deaths detailed therein –- some 11 million per year –- were preventable.  The supply of basic life-saving services –- in particular adequate neo-natal care –- could save millions of lives.  The spread of armed conflict had also increased the number of child deaths; the international community must address the inadequacies highlighted in the Secretary-General’s report on children and armed conflict.  It was beneficial to have an independent expert on children and armed conflict, she agreed, but the mandate of that office must be reformulated.

MAI KHALIL (Egypt) said her delegation hoped Mr. Pinheiro’s survey would illuminate the dimensions of the grave phenomenon affecting children.  Egyptian law provided that the personality of man began at birth, and the embryo also had certain rights defined by the law.  The National Maternal Council, under the chairmanship of the first lady, together with international organizations, had recently convened to try to eliminate the practice of female circumcision.  They had recommended the adoption of a law to renounce this practice.

She said her Government had made efforts to provide for judicial protection for children especially for crimes committed by children under 18.  Another significant development was the comprehensive review of legislation related to children.  Her delegation regretted that it must recall once again the dire situation of Palestinian children in the occupied Palestinian territories, whose deteriorating situation was neglected in all the reports submitted to the Committee.  Egypt called for the immediate halt to all military actions taken against Palestinian children.  This could only be achieved through Israel’s full withdrawal from the occupied territories.

JORGE CUMBERBACH MIGUEN (Cuba) said the marvellous hope of children would dissipate before the eyes of the world if the world continued in its current state.  Despite all the United Nations’ efforts, today’s children continued to succumb to curable diseases and to the dramatic pandemic of HIV/AIDS, to malnutrition and high infant mortality rates, to armed conflict and war, to sale and trafficking, to sexual exploitation, to illegal trafficking in tissues and organs for transplants, to exploitation as child labourers and to coexistence with drugs and delinquency.  Given continuation of the current situation, there would be no universal primary education by 2015, and no two-thirds reduction in the mortality rate of children under five years of age.  The only solution to this situation was to change the unjust international order.

A negligible percentage of the nearly $900 billion squandered annually on war and weapons would solve the world’s inequalities, he declared.  It was indispensable to guarantee a better environment for developing countries’ economies in order to generate the resources necessary to meet their children’s necessities of life.  Thus, a just and equitable international trade system with clear rules must be elaborated; external debt must be cancelled; and international commitments on official development assistance must be fulfilled.

His country remained proud of its achievements concerning children, he said, which had been attained in spite of the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States.  All children under five years of age were vaccinated against the main childhood diseases; 100 per cent of Cuban children had access to health care services, and the infant mortality rate had dropped to 6 in 1000; the student-teacher ration in primary schools was 20 to 1 with two teachers present if there were more than 20 students.

CHRISTOPHER HACKETT (Barbados), on behalf of the Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that despite the progress achieved in advancing the rights of children through the adoption of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, the situation of children in many places around the globe continued to be horrific.  Poverty, conflict, instability, HIV/AIDS, environmental degradation and natural disasters threatened and hindered the development of many countries, and the effects of these were most often felt by children.

He said present global economic trends made it unlikely that the target date for reducing poverty would be met.  The global targets that had been set required further financial assistance and fresh new approaches.  Developing countries needed concrete action and support to make the Millennium Development Goals a reality.  The world’s children could not wait longer for action to be taken.  CARICOM urged developed countries to take positive moves towards meeting the target of 0.7 per cent of their gross national product as development aid to developing countries.  The CARICOM further reiterated the pressing need for the international community to devote more funds and attention to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

He stressed that in addition to the problems faced by all developing countries, small island developing States faced specific problems arising from a combination of special characteristics such as vulnerability to natural disasters and fragile ecosystems, among others.  The inability of small island economies to respond adequately to externally imposed economic and environmental threats made these States more vulnerable.  It was therefore critical that the international community continue to recognize the special circumstances of small island developing States and heed their calls for special assistance.

Mr. SAMET (Algeria) said the constant growth in the amount of attention devoted to promotion and protection of the rights of children constituted a source of hope.  Building a “World Fit for Children” remained an essential component in attainment of the Millennium Development Goals; review of the implementation of the outcomes of the General Assembly’s twenty-seventh special session should therefore be included within the follow-up to other major international conferences and summits.

While the Secretary-General’s report had cited progress in many areas, the situation of children remained precarious in many countries, particularly in Africa, he noted.  Millions of children continued to live in sub-human conditions; restoring some measure of their dignity required ensuring their economic and social rights, including their rights to development.  Access to education, health care, nutrition, drinkable water and shelter must be assured.  Armed groups must not be allowed to conscript children as soldiers, and children must be protected from trafficking and sexual and other forms of exploitation.  The situation of Palestinian children was also of particular concern.

Algeria had devoted considerable resources to promoting the fundamental rights of children, he continued.  The country had implemented coordinated, integrated and intersectoral plans of action to address issues such as reduction of infant mortality, nutrition, universal access to primary education and assistance to children living in difficult conditions.  As a State party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Algeria would present its second periodic report in 2005.

PHAM THI KIM ANH (Viet Nam) said Viet Nam had always given high priority to the implementation of the rights of children and was earnestly carrying out its international commitments.  Viet Nam had recorded significant achievements in realizing all the goals set forth for children for the decade.  All the provinces and cities of Viet Nam had realized primary education targets, and illiteracy had been wiped out.  Mortality rates for children had also been reduced, and polio had been eliminated.

She said her delegation shared the concerns about the situation of children in armed conflicts in many parts of the world.  Children were the primary victims of armed conflicts and suffered the most in post-conflict situations. Viet Nam therefore welcomed the decision to establish a monitoring, reporting and compliance mechanism for children in armed conflict and firmly supported the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children in armed conflicts.

Due to its low level of economic development, there were still major impediments to the realization and promotion of the rights of children, including the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children and the impact of HIV/AIDS on more than 250,000 children.  Her Government was doing its utmost to solve those problems by carrying out rights-based programmes, giving priority to the protection of particularly vulnerable children.

MARIE-THERESE HELAL (Canada), speaking on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand (CANZ), said enhancing the promotion and protection of children’s rights required not just targeted action, but mainstreaming of child rights in all activities at both the national and international levels.  CANZ’s commitment to reaffirming and advancing the rights of the child had been demonstrated by sponsorship of the omnibus text on that issue; yet, increasingly, there was concern that the length and detail of the text was not conducive to advancing the rights of the child.  All Member States were called upon to review the text thoroughly and to streamline it to focus on urgent and central issues.

Welcoming the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and of the Special Representative on children and armed conflict, she stressed that the participation of all stakeholders remained essential to combat the violation of children’s rights and to ensure adherence to international law.  Issues provoking deep concern included the continued sexual exploitation of children, including through trafficking, prostitution, child pornography and sexual abuse.  All perpetrators of such crimes must be brought to justice, and the rights of the victims throughout criminal proceedings must be ensured.

Violence against children remained a complex problem that demanded an urgent response, she added, and the work of the Special Rapporteur to conduct the in-depth study on the problem was welcomed.  Each of the members of CANZ had taken concrete steps to implement the “World Fit for Children” agenda, including through elaboration of national programmes for children’s rights.  Each would also continue to cooperate with other countries through their respective regional organizations on important issues related to smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons and related transnational crime, including trafficking in children and child sex tourism.

KYAW WIN (Myanmar) said his country was no longer in armed conflict and it was analogous to “turning a blind eye to reality” when Myanmar was included on the list of countries in such a situation.  However, his Government was taking no chances and had formed a top level Committee for the Prevention of the Recruitment of Child Soldiers on 5 January 2004.

He said it was regrettable that the European Union’s diplomatic and economic sanctions on Myanmar were hardly compatible with the international Convention on the Rights of the Child to which European Union members and Myanmar had acceded.  In violation of article 2.2 of the Convention, the list of names in the current visa bans on senior officers of the Myanmar Government had included children not yet even of school age, which was an irony given that advocates of human rights were violating one of its own important conventions.

He added that the latest introduction of human rights education into the curricula of basic education for middle schools and high schools was a testament to Myanmar’s ambition that these children might grow up into a world where there is universal respect for human rights, in keeping with Myanmar’s longstanding traditions.

MANEL ABEYSEKERA (Sri Lanka) said that apart from guaranteeing the rights of every child to education and good health services, Sri Lanka believed children must be protected from abuse of all types, including that related to sex, alcohol, drugs and tobacco.  She said Sri Lanka’s position on children’s rights was a matter of satisfaction, though not of complacency.  Even before the Convention of the Rights of the Child was adopted in 1989, Sri Lanka’s people-centred policies of free education, free health care, free school lunches, and free distribution of uniforms, and text books had resulted in favourable indicators in child mortality and in children’s health and education.  Building on that foundation, Sri Lanka’s incorporation of the Millennium Development Goals into its development strategy would definitely help to create the environment necessary for further implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

She said Sri Lanka was party to all the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions on child labour and their protocols, while the penal code had provisions against child abuse, cruelty to children, and trafficking in children.  Despite its earnest efforts, however, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam continued its policy of recruiting children as armed combatants.  International pressure was needed to put an end to this practice.

She added that her Government had launched a National Plan of Action for the Children of Sri Lanka:  2004 to 2008.  The main objective of the Plan was to create opportunities for children, consistent with their evolving capacities, to be in a safe environment and to provide an integration of interventions that benefited children.

SIN SONG CHOL (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) said children remained the most vulnerable victims of armed conflicts, child labour, discrimination, sexual exploitation, and HIV/AIDS.  It was necessary for each country to pursue a policy on children that was suitable to its specific situation, and such policies should be undertaken in such a way as to keep consistency between international commitments and actions, and to legally ensure children’s rights.  It was also important to prevent children from becoming scapegoats of politics.  Some countries were abusing child issues for political purposes, thus hindering children from enjoying universally recognized rights, such as the right to medication and to medical care.  Attempts to link the child issue with politics must in no way to be tolerated.

He said that in order for the requirements of the Convention of the Rights of the Child to be met, efforts of national governments and international cooperation were crucial.  International organizations, including UNICEF, should assume greater responsibility by joining in the efforts of national governments to protect and promote children’s rights.  For its part, he said, the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had adopted laws related to children, which provided legal guarantees of children’s rights as stipulated in the Convention.  It had also reinforced social mechanisms for children, including the provision of universal free education and free medical care.

TAN KEE KWONG, Member of Parliament of Malaysia, spoke on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and said the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA), adopted in 1998, constituted the first in a series of plans of action for implementation of ASEAN’s Vision 2020.  The Hanoi Plan prioritized implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Children, strengthening collaboration in combating trafficking in and crimes against women and children, and working towards full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant international conventions.  Furthermore, a Declaration of Commitments on Children in ASEAN had been adopted in 2001, affirming ASEAN members’ commitment to promoting a gentler, safer and more caring environment for children to be pursued through strengthening of the family as the primary caregiver and nurturer.

The goals of ASEAN Vision 2020 had been reaffirmed at the 2003 ASEAN Summit, he added, and the Association remained engaged with UNICEF in a work-planning process to address the priorities identified in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the “World Fit for Children” document.  Three pending project proposals addressing child protection concerns, including child abuse and neglect, had been merged into one consolidated proposal focused on capacity-building for training of police and social and health workers.  The aim was to develop a
multi-disciplinary framework for child protection and child abuse intervention.

UNICEF also currently provided technical assistance for the ongoing ASEAN project on early childcare and development, he noted, and ASEAN countries had participated regularly in the series of East Asia and Pacific Ministerial Consultations on Children, organized by UNICEF.  The Vientiane Action Programme was now being prepared as the successor plan to the Hanoi Plan of Action.

ADIYATWIDI ADIWOSO ASMADY (Indonesia) said that in line with the targets of the Millennium Development Goals her Government had launched the National Programme for Children in Indonesia 2015, which covered key issues of children’s health and nutrition, HIV/AIDS, early childhood care and development, and basic nine-year education.  Following the enactment of the Law of the Child Protection in 2002, a National Committee on Child Protection was established to ensure implementation of the law through monitoring and evaluation measures.  Targets for the next five years had been established in the areas of health and education.

On the issue of child abuse, she said various policy measures had been taken to combat the problem at both national and regional levels.  Indonesia was currently implementing three National Action Plans on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, and Trafficking in Women and Children.

She said the Indonesian Government was fully aware of the importance of the continued progress in implementing the various commitments of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child were being taken into consideration and integrated into national strategies, in line with Indonesian policies on children.

FLORE ASSOUMOU (Cote d’Ivoire) said that, in order to combat challenges such as deteriorating health care services and rising rates of infant mortality, her Government had developed a project in conjunction with UNICEF to support those districts most affected by the crisis.  The project, which had been envisaged for a period of 15 months, sought to strengthen the capacities of health-care services, including through provision of equipment, medical materials, vaccines and medications, and of prenatal consultations, assistance in labour and distribution of anti-malarial mosquito nets.  The national measles vaccination campaign would also administer a polio vaccine this year, she added, in response to the recent outbreak of that disease.

The kidnapping, trafficking and exploitation of children remained a source of concern, she continued.  The Government had elaborated institutional and juridical measures to fight the scourge of child labour, with the Constitution according special protection to vulnerable groups and reaffirming the ban on the worst forms of child labour.  Additionally, the Penal Code had addressed the kidnapping of children, and a law on trafficking in children was currently being elaborated.  At the international and regional level, Cote d’Ivoire had ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and two International Labour Organization instruments related to child labour.  It had also ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Well-being of the Child.

The slavery that was child labour had taken a new form with the use of child soldiers, she added, which made children both the perpetrators and victims of war and armed conflict.  In Cote d’Ivoire and elsewhere, child soldiers urgently needed saving; they must be disarmed and reintegrated into society.  They must be allowed to laugh, play, write and discover once more the simple pleasures of childhood.

MAVIS KUSORGBOR (Ghana) said international cooperation was imperative, and there was an absolute need for the pooling of resources, energies and initiatives to implement the principles enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Ghana welcomed the increasing role of regional mechanisms and the various collaborative efforts between countries and regional and international organizations in assessing regional challenges and defining appropriate regional responses.

She said her Government was undertaking relevant initiatives to improve the social and economic well-being of children.  Various law reforms had been harmonized for the effective implementation of human rights for children provided for within the Convention of the Rights of the Child.  Programmes on child protection issues supported advocacy efforts to sensitize the public about the need to counteract child trafficking and child migration.  Capacity-building strategies had been implemented to financially empower women through the established Women Development Fund, to make it possible for them to support their families.  The Government had also initiated efforts to expand access to education and improve the quality of education.

The plight of thousands of children in conflict situations around the world should spur the international community to take concrete steps to alleviate the suffering of those children.  The relevant United Nations agencies must comprehensively integrate this issue in their work and improve the level of coordination in their responses to this problem.

AMARE TEKLE (Eritrea) said there was no society that did not consider satisfaction of the emotional, spiritual, moral and material needs of its children to be a cardinal duty and social priority.  Yet, children continued to be the principle victims of the most egregious violations of human rights, including loss of identity and citizenship, child labour and military conscription, sexual exploitation, abduction, sale and slavery, genital mutilation and forced early marriage and exposure to health hazards.  There was a causal relationship between the violation of children’s human rights and poverty, he added, in which the absence of adequate education and employment opportunities had made military conscription attractive, and human trafficking, debt bondage and other illicit activities possible.

During the liberation struggle, he said, the motto of every fighter had been “Everything (good) for the children”.  After independence, Eritrea had ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and had given priority to children and youth in all its laws.  The Government had embarked upon a preventive health care programme for children and had maintained its commitment to education.  It had also taken a strong stance on the issue of violence against children.  In particular, the cruel victimization of children by armed conflict was of special significance to Eritreans, whose children had suffered for more than 30 years due to the horrific destruction wrought by enemy armies.  To this day, those who had survived cluster bombs, napalm and nerve gas were being killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.  The country’s children had also been abducted, raped and reportedly used as human mine-sweepers and human shields, forced to perform slave labour.

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