U.S. Military Assistance to Governments and Government Supported Armed Groups Using Child Soldiers 2002-2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 2, 2008 2:25 PM

CONTACT: Center for Defense Information (CDI)

www.cdi.org



WASHINGTON, DC - April 2 - The State Department's 2007 Human Rights report revealed eight countries where children have been recruited and/or used as child soldiers by government or government supported armed groups. CDI’s research has revealed that of these eight countries, the United States has provided six with military assistance since 2002. Authors: Rachel Stohl, Doug Tuttle



U.S. Military Assistance to Governments and Government Supported Armed Groups Using Child

Soldiers 2002-2008



In accordance with the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of FY 2003, the U.S. Department of State’s

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices include a description of the “nature and extent of the

compulsory recruitment and conscription of individuals under the age of 18” by all armed groups in

every country, and the steps that have been taken by the governments of the respective countries to

eliminate such practices. The reports are also supposed to list which countries have ratified the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.



Released on March 11, 2008, the State Department’s 2007 human rights reports on 196 countries

contain information on past or current use or recruitment of child soldiers, disarmament, demobilization

and rehabilitation (DDR) programs for former child soldiers, and other child soldiers-related issues in 30 different countries. The full text of the 2007 Country Reports can be found at

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/. CDI’s excerpts of the 30 reports containing information on

child soldiers can be found at http://www.cdi.org/PDFs/CSExcerpts2007.pdf.



The country reports include favorable information where tangible, positive results have been

accomplished, such as DDR programs for child soldiers in nine countries: Afghanistan , Burundi , Central

Africa Republic , Chad , Democratic Republic of Congo , Republic of Congo , Rwanda , Sri Lanka , and

Uganda. However, they also include information on violations of established international standards on

child soldiers. For example, the report highlights the continued use and recruitment of child soldiers by governments and government-supported paramilitaries, militias and other armed groups in eight

countries. Some of the most egregious violators remain Burma , the Democratic Republic of Congo and

Sri Lanka. The United States continues to provide these countries millions of dollars in Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), Excess Defense Articles (EDA), International Military Education and Training (IMET) and Foreign Military Financing (FMF).



More specifically, CDI’s analysis of the 2007 human rights reports found that:



• The most egregious cases of child soldier use by government forces continue in Burma , the Democratic

Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sri Lanka .



• The reports reveal use and recruitment of child soldiers by government forces or government supported

groups in eight countries: Afghanistan , Burma , Chad , DRC, Somalia , Sri Lanka , Sudan and Uganda .



• In 2006, government use was found in nine countries: Burma, Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire,

DRC, Sri Lanka , Sudan and Uganda .



• The United States provides military assistance to six of those eight countries: Afghanistan , Chad , DRC, Sri Lanka , Sudan and Uganda .



Below, are excerpts from the U.S. Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

demonstrating government or government-supported armed group use and recruitment of child soldiers

and the amounts of Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), Excess Defense

Articles (EDA), International Military Education and Training (IMET) and Foreign Military Financing

(FMF) provided by the United States since 1990. The State Department has not yet made the actual

amounts for FY07, the estimated amounts for FY 08 and the requested amounts for FY 09 for DCS and

FMS publicly available. In addition, the estimated FY 08 amounts and FY 09 requests for EDA have

also not been released.





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