Ombudsman for Children to outline concerns regarding involvement of children in armed conflict

The Office of the Ombudsman for Children will tomorrow (Thursday) present an independent report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child which will outline a number of concerns regarding Ireland’s compliance with the optional protocol concerning the protections afforded to under-18s involved in armed conflict.

In this report, the Office of the Ombudsman for Children will raise a number of issues, including:

• The lack of a legal ban on the involvement of under-18s in armed hostilities;
• The liability of children in the Defence Forces to military law;
• Support for children who are former child soldiers now living in Ireland;
• The restrictions placed on her Office with regard to the investigation of complaints made by young people who are members of the Defence Forces.

Commenting on the report, Children’s Ombudsman Emily Logan has said:

“The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child that Ireland is a party to calls for ‘all feasible measures’ to be taken to ensure that children are never involved in armed hostilities.

“In Ireland, a significant number of new recruits to the Defence Forces are under 18. An administrative rule is in place that states that under-18s will not be used in armed hostilities, but I believe that a far more robust measure should be introduced to ensure that they are never involved in armed combat. A full legal ban to this effect would be a very positive development.

“In addition, the liability of those members of the Defence Forces who are under the age of 18 to military law is a key concern of my office. “In its Report, the State notes ‘Ireland does not have information on specific numbers of former child soldiers residing in Ireland and therefore does not have information on specific cases of rehabilitation and social reintegration of persons from a domestic point of view’. The lack of such data means that children who are former child soldiers living in Ireland are not receiving support for their very specific needs of rehabilitation.

“Finally, under the legislation which established the Office of the Ombudsman for Children, I am prevented from investigating any complaints made to my office by members of the Defence Forces under the age of 18. I believe that this exclusion should be removed without delay.”

Ends

Note to Editors:

Tomorrow’s meeting in Geneva relates to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) regarding the involvement of children in armed conflict. Ireland has been a party to the Optional Protocol since 2002. Ireland submitted its first report under this Optional Protocol last December, and this will be examined by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in January 2008. In advance of this examination, a pre-sessional meeting regarding Ireland’s report is scheduled for Thursday, October 11th, in Geneva. The Office of the Ombudsman for Children will submit its report at this meeting.

• 10 October 2007
• Type: Press Release