"We are in 2017 and it is a disgrace that the children continue to be used in conflicts. We have to stop it," the spokeswoman for the UN agency, Najwa Mekki, said.
According to the expert on communication, more efforts are necessary to put an end to a problem that many minors are facing in every war scene, where the risk of being recruited by non-government armed groups and armed forces is underlying.
"We do not have exact data, but we know there are thousands of children affected by this practice," she said.
Mekki mentioned the UNICEF actions to deal with a problem that due to its magnitude and negative impact, led a decade ago to adoption of the Paris commitments, an instrument aimed at protecting children from the scourge of war.
Those commitments are very important, more than 100 countries have joined the initiative with concrete achievements, such as the plans by several nations with children in their armed forces to abandon their recruitment, she said.
According to the spokeswoman, the activities by UNICEF go from negotiations with the actors in conflicts to release minors to programs for reintegration into society and preventative others.
PL/MNA
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