Did MONUC reaffirm its intention to support the DRC in ending child recruitment?
Firstly, the recruitment of children will be always illegal. There are no conditions which make child recruitment legal. Before the protocol and Principles of Paris, the use of children for war activities was already prohibited by the Geneva conventions, which lay down the rules of war combatants precisely, and prohibit the use of people of less than 15 years of age for military activities. MONUC’s Child Protection Division ensures that the personnel of the mission, both civilian and military, understands and respects the applicable principles of the protection of children in a peacekeeping mission. We also try to support the government and its institutions with recommendations relating to all the elements which relate, in any way, to the protection of children against recruitment. Thus, MONUC’s Child Protection Division brings its support for the reform of the laws and legal instruments involved with putting an end to recruitment, to encourage an end of impunity, and to ensure that ch
