UN Security Council debates sexual violence, use of child soldiers by LRA, UPDF
On Wednesday the UN Security Council held a day-long debate and issued a presidential statement on the issue children and armed conflict. The debate focused on the findings of the 2007 UN Secretary-General’s report on children and armed conflict, which lists both the LRA and Ugandan military as responsible for “committing rape and other grave sexual violence against children.”
The report also held the LRA, listed by the UN as one of 14 armed parties in the world that is a “persistent violator” of children’s rights, responsible for abducting children in South Sudan in 2007. The Ugandan government was mentioned during the report for 16 cases of child recruitment into the armed forces, including several cases in which the UPDF used escaped child soldiers from the LRA to gather intelligence before being released. The report also highlights 48 cases of rape and other sexual violence committed by the Ugandan military against girls since December 2006, noting that most occurred in IDP camps or areas of return and that no arrests had been made in any of the cases. During the UNSC debate on Wednesday a representative of the Ugandan government acknowledged ongoing problems, but also noted the creation of a country-level task force to monitor the situation and report on implementation of efforts to meet international standards.
The report also held the LRA, listed by the UN as one of 14 armed parties in the world that is a “persistent violator” of children’s rights, responsible for abducting children in South Sudan in 2007. The Ugandan government was mentioned during the report for 16 cases of child recruitment into the armed forces, including several cases in which the UPDF used escaped child soldiers from the LRA to gather intelligence before being released. The report also highlights 48 cases of rape and other sexual violence committed by the Ugandan military against girls since December 2006, noting that most occurred in IDP camps or areas of return and that no arrests had been made in any of the cases. During the UNSC debate on Wednesday a representative of the Ugandan government acknowledged ongoing problems, but also noted the creation of a country-level task force to monitor the situation and report on implementation of efforts to meet international standards.