Topic-A
Name:
Mannat Malik
School:
The Heritage School, Gurgaon
Country:
Colombia
Committee:
UNICEF
Topic:
Children and Terrorism
Child Terrorism is a highly atrocious
act,unfortunately this is a major development age and children are educated to
act with emotions such as insensitivity, and to show a series of harsh behavior
on humanity. Colombia holds a history of formation of powerful terrorist groups
which still exist and remain strengthy like FARC-EP
& ELN and fully support the recruitment of children, 300 cases of
recruitment were reported in 29 out of the 32 departments, and the number of
children who were not reported remains indefinite.Girls are appointed for
sexual exploitation or domestic work while the boys are turned into child
soldiers or domestic workers; deadly measures are taken against the children if
they are caught escaping or refuse to work.A few children see terrorism as an
escape to their dissatisfying lives, children belonging to economically depressed
families or being abused in various ways volunteer to join, while some are abducted
or offered to join these groups. The inclusion of children in an armed group
for any type of work is recognized as a crime and is punished under the criminal
code of Colombia.
Colombia has ratified
the Cape Town Principles, it has also ratified and endorsed the Paris
Commitments to protect children from unlawful recruitment or use by
armed forces or armed groups and has also been a part of the international
coalition to stop the use of children as soldiers. The committee on the Rights
of Child considered Colombia’s third periodic report on the convention of the
rights of child. Colombia in order to prevent these activities started the
demobilization process in which hundreds of children were demobilized.
Appreciable amount of improvement has been made by the government to weaken the
armed groups thus stopping the recruitment of children, many awareness
campaigns have been launched by the government & NGOs. Earlier a document
was published designed to work with government strategies, focusing on the
issue of recruitment and use of children by armed groups, the government has
also launched programs and activities like “Protection of Children and
Adolescents Demobilized from Armed Groups Operating outside the Law”, the “Mine
Action Program” and the “Inter-agency Recruitment Prevention Commission”
continue their ventures and is also initiating other countries to take similar
measures.
The issue is of
paramount importance and remains a top priority. Potent methods of prevention
shall be brought about worldwide as soon as possible. Awareness plays a major
role as a number of children who volunteer to join the armed groups are
unconscious of the harm it is going to cause them, and how legally wrong it is.
Making them acknowledged of the fact would definitely suppress their choice of
joining these groups therefore maximum number of campaigns should be launched,
schools should also organize workshops etc. making the children more aware.
To help the current
victims, DDR (disarmament, demobilization & reintegration) programs should
repeatedly take place with all the three steps of disarmament, demobilization
& reintegration executing properly. Pleasant results have been witnessed in
Colombia Majorly affected areas must keep the DDR process active and if it is
worked out properly with full care and concentration then the problem can be
cleared out with full satisfaction of the child’s mental and physical state.
Topic-B
Name:
Mannat Malik
School:
The Heritage School, Gurgaon
Country:
Colombia
Committee:
UNICEF
Topic:
Children and HIV/AIDS
AIDS
has been rapidly spreading all over the world and has not only affected elders
but children too, directly or indirectly. Around 2, 30,000 children are living
with HIV/AIDS in Colombia. Majorly the problem has been spreading because of
the lack of awareness, usually in backward or underdeveloped areas. The armed
conflict in Colombia is also contributing to the flourishing of AIDS. Children
are often disowned or abandoned if they are found HIV positive, therefore the
treatments never take place due to lack of economical and moral support or
because of the absence of guidance. Many children are also indirectly affected in
Colombia as in most cases the main bread winner of the family is suffering
through AIDS and usually the pressure of earning is put onto the child, which
leads to the withdrawal from school, basically missing out on education and
causes additional mental stress at a very young age. When deaths of parents or
guardians are caused by HIV then the child is refused shelter in the homes of
relatives or family friends as they are disinterested in assisting the childor
are unable to provide children with their necessities.
Colombia
holds the potential of producing antiretroviral drugs, which are by far most
important in curing the disease. Colombia is making numerous efforts on
beginning the manufacturing of these drugs in the country as the scope of
growth definitely exists, and Colombia should be seen as a potential producer.
As soon as we meet the right requirements the production will start and will
not only aid Colombia but through trading it will also help people in other
countries to have a chance to treat themselves. Till now trading of
antiretroviral drugs has been on in the country and the people of Colombia have
access to these drugs. Colombia in an effort to clear out the disease made the
antiretroviral drugs free for people with low income and initiated other
countries to do the same.
Awareness
plays an important role, as many children and adolescents have HIV/AIDS because
of the lack of awareness about the transmission of the disease. Workshops on
HIV/AIDS should be made compulsory in schools informing children about the mechanisms
of HIV/AIDS transmission and how people who are suffering through the disease
should be treated. If children are aware about the preventions of HIV/AIDS then
the situation amongst children &adolescents can definitely be improved and
we also must initiate them to spread and make others also aware.
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