§ Mr. GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy on the use of child soldiers; and if he will make a statement. [82329]
§ Mr. Tony LloydThe Government are committed to bringing to an end the use of child soldiers in contravention of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We urge all Governments and armed groups to adhere to the international humanitarian and human rights standards that protect the rights of children in conflict situations. We support the work of the United Nations to protect those children affected, particularly the work of the UN Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict. The UK played a leading role in the establishment of the use of child soldiers as a war crime in the statute of the International Criminal Court.
On 2 March 1999, Official Report, column 895, we announced a new UK commitment of £10 million to promote stability in Sierra Leone. A condition of this 182W assistance is that children under 16 must not be used by the Sierra Leone Armed Forces or the Civil Defence Force. We believe that this may be the first time that any Government have made non-use of child soldiers an explicit condition of such assistance.