The Rights of Children In War

Here is a link to the article: http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/02/05/us-act-protect-children-conflict

A committee of the United Nations has created a list of recommendations to protect children worldwide from armed conflict. The United Nations hopes that the United States will pass these laws, as children abroad are not only being engulfed by war repercussions, but are even dying from them. Since children are essentially helpless, I believe that it is both the duty and the responsibility of powerful nations like ours to protect these children. Although civilian victims in wars are generally innocent, children seem to make up a different category. Children cannot fend for themselves, but rather are forced to do what they are told. Their minds are not fully developed, and therefore they typically do not realize the magnitude of the situation at hand. It is both unfair and unjust for these helpless children to be affected so greatly by such atrocities that they are not responsible for. The United States has child protection laws against underage working or minors in the military, and I think that these laws should be extended globally. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights gives everyone “the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family,” while children “shall enjoy the same social protection.” Are the children that are affected by war receiving these rights? It seems to me that those children that are taken as prisoners of war or those that are dying from air attacks are being stripped of these rights, and something needs to be done. In my opinion, the United States should protect children worldwide by ratifying the laws that the United Nations has laid out. 

By: Erika Staskevicius