AU-PSC: Morocco Urges Robust Action to Protect Children Affected by Armed Conflict
Addis Ababa - Morocco reiterated on Tuesday in Addis Ababa its ongoing commitment to protecting children formerly associated with armed groups, calling for collective, structured, and coherent action across the continent.
Speaking at a public session of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) on the “Rehabilitation and reintegration of children formerly associated with armed conflict,” the Moroccan delegation denounced a painful but persistent reality of a sacrificed generation, enlisted, exploited, and broken, recalling that the recruitment of children in armed conflicts is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which calls for a clear response, without relativism or impunity.
This position is part of a strong legal commitment, reflected in the ratification of all relevant international instruments, accession to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Paris Principles and Vancouver Principles, as well as the Declaration on Safety in Schools, the Moroccan delegation emphasized.
Beyond the regulatory framework, Morocco takes action on the ground, notably through the National Observatory for the Rights of the Child, chaired by HRH Princess Lalla Meryem, and the International Center for the Research and Prevention of Child Soldiers, she continued, noting that this Center, a pioneer on the continent, collects, analyzes and alerts on the evolution of the phenomenon.
The Moroccan delegation also strongly condemned the sequestration, militarization and indoctrination of children in refugee camps, used for political ends in blatant violation of their most basic rights.
Given the severity of the phenomenon, the delegation stressed the need to criminalize the perpetrators of recruitment, to step up prevention in high-risk areas, and to involve communities in the reintegration of child victims.
Morocco further called for strengthening birth registration systems, systematic age verification, strict prohibition and criminalization of recruitment in refugee camps, and integration of child protection into all peace initiatives in Africa.
The Kingdom also stressed that reintegration cannot be limited to the release of children: it must be substantial, supervised and multi-sectoral, combining education, psychosocial support and economic prospects, within a solid and sustainable institutional framework.
Editorial team/le7tv
