Prevent to protect: the recruitment and use of child soldiers as an early warning indicator, the case of Venezuela

Every year, Feb. 12 is observed as the International Day to End the Use of Child Soldiers, and regrettably, the world is confronted with dangerous new crises every day that may lead to the recruitment and use of child soldiers. In Venezuela, more than 90 per cent of the population are now living below the poverty line, which has resulted in a critical humanitarian crisis that is disproportionately affecting children. The UN estimates that there will be 5.3 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants by the end of this year. Approximately one-third of those fleeing the country have landed in neighbouring Colombia, where some have been recruited into Colombian guerilla forces. In Venezuela, widespread hunger due to food shortages and economic hardship is being capitalized upon by criminal gangs, using food and basic necessities as bait to lure in new recruits. Meanwhile, Nicolás Maduro has been rapidly expanding the militia, tripling its size throughout the course of 2018. The UN has accused pro-government forces of targeting children during crackdowns on protests in January 2019, detaining some 77 children, some as young as 12. Residents of Venezuela’s barrios, impoverished neighbourhoods, fear Maduro’s Special Forces—or Faes—who are reportedly using violence and murder to silence protests among those most affected by the economic crisis. From the guerilla movements and paramilitary groups in Colombia to the heavily armed drug cartels in Brazil’s largest cities, Venezuela also resides in a neighbourhood of countries that are no stranger to the extensive use of children as soldiers or gang members in various manifestations. These factors demonstrate the potential for the widespread recruitment and use of child soldiers should the crisis turn into armed conflict. We have been here before. As history and research indicates, the features of the Venezuelan crisis point to the increased vulnerability of children to being recruited and used as soldiers, as an early warning indicator of broader human rights violations and abuses to come. If we ignore what is happening in Venezuela and in particular the plight of vulnerable children, as we have done in other countries and regions in the past, we will squander opportunities to help prevent the country from descending into a generational civil war. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to positively impact the lives of Venezuelan children before it is too late. In recent weeks, Canada has played a vital, diplomatic role well-suited to our soft power status in the world by convening critical dialogue on Venezuela and highlighting its human rights crisis. However, the Ottawa Declaration for Venezuela—the statement drafted by the members present of the Lima Group who were convened last week by the Canadian government—did not make specific mention of the situation of children, especially those who are at risk of being recruited by armed forces and groups in this context. The Dallaire Initiative, founded by former Quebec Liberal Senator Romeo Dallaire. The former general also led the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Rwanda and now dedicates his time to eradicating the recruitment and use of child soldiers in wars. The Hill Times photograph by Cynthia Münster Today, the Dallaire Initiative urges the Canadian government, as well as the 71 other endorsers of the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and Preventing the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers, to make good on the commitment and leadership shown in their creation. They are a set of non-binding pledges that seek to equip security sector actors, whether they are international peacekeepers or those serving their national forces, with the skills and knowledge to prevent some of the worst violations being committed against children. Principles 3 and 8 deal specifically with commitments to engage effectively in early warning activities and pro-active prevention respectively. Effective responses to prevention require countries to step up to be leaders in regions that require stability. It means recognizing the early warning signs of conflict and the role of children in sustaining or fueling conflict. From Rwanda, to Central African Republic, to Syria and Iraq—and now to Venezuela—we have so many clear examples of early warning indicators with respect to the involvement of children in conflict that have not been heeded. The situation has been brewing in Venezuela for a number of years, including reports of youth engaging and dying in violent anti-government protests in June 2017. The young people of the world are tuned in and tired of the rhetoric spun by inept leaders who fail to serve their most basic needs. The global community has squandered opportunities in the past to reduce conflict because we have failed to adequately recognize and report on these early warning signs as crucial to achieving overall peace and stability. The blinders must now be removed. We must see conflict through the lens of the children who are impacted and used to perpetrate violence, as this is critical to breaking endemic cycles of violence and generational warfare. Our failure to reduce the involvement of children in armed conflict today will only create more leaders that have been educated in violence for tomorrow. It must be a priority for the global peace and security agenda. Canada is positioned to lead this change and transform how we respond to this threat and humanitarian crisis. Canada should continue to support the diplomatic process that encourages a democratic transition, supplies humanitarian aid, and dissuades a disastrous military intervention. Our foresight must now be 20/20. Let us not once again opine the missed opportunity to act and repeat the words “never again” in well-meaning, if empty solidarity. Shelly Whitman is executive director of the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative. The Hill Times

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Prevent to protect: the recruitment and use of child soldiers as an early warning indicator, the case of Venezuela

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