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Agence France-Presse  August 1, 2001 A United Nations official called for the creation of an independent new watchdog to end the practice of exploiting children as soldiers by pressuring governments through exposure and shaming. Olara Otunnu, special representative of the UN secretary-general for children in armed conflicts, said the recommended body should "issue a report periodically which will constitute the base of political pressure which we need to bring to bear on parties in conflict." According to a recent global report on child soldiers, some 300,000 children are fighting in 41 countries. Otunnu informed the new body should be an "entity whose sole vocation is collecting autonomously, vetting information in an objective, credible manner, simply issuing the facts." "Putting a mechanism of this kind in place will make a big difference in filling the gap between words, conventions and deeds on the ground," Otunnu said, adding: "If (the perpetrators) know (their violations) have been watched and reported upon, they will be a lot more careful. "Now, they give promises, they will sign the conventions but they know pretty well that nobody is watching and that they will not be named, shamed on a periodic basis." "That's the gap we need to fill," he urged. A protocol on child soldiers completing the 1989 children's rights convention has not yet come into force because only five countries have so far ratified it instead of the required minimum 10. The protocol bans the enlistment of juveniles less than 18 years of age in any hostilities. A periodic report on children in armed conflicts should include "a survey of local rules and norms regarding children and women" in wars, and "modes of response of local communities," Otunnu proposed. But he also warned a watchdog body such as he proposed could not be UN-backed for fear of appearing partial: "It cannot be my office, or a UN entity, or an official (governmental) entity, or an advocacy group," he stressed. In Mozambique, the official reported, "we know that a lot of child soldiers returned to their communities, by and large they were absorbed, they seem to be doing well, we don't know why and how. What exactly happened? What kind of healing rituals, acceptance rituals?"
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