The Romeo Dallaire initiative in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights or JHR is expected to train South Sudan journalists on the rights of the child and prevention from recruitment.
In a letter to CRN, the training aims at building the capacity of the journalists to report on children’s rights and particularly ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
The two days training is also meant for the journalists to produce a series of stories focused on the ways in which South Sudan is working to prevent the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
The training will guide journalists to raise awareness on the rights of the child and ways in which communities can prevent the recruitment and use of child soldiers in South Sudan.
The initiative is funded by Global Affairs Canada.
The most recent conflict in South Sudan, beginning in December 2013, has had a severe impact on children, with an estimated 19,000 children associated with armed forces and groups, according to UNICEF.
As the UN prepares for the further release of children in 2019, it is essential to prepare reintegration support for those children and particularly girls, who are demobilised.
According to Child Soldiers International, witnessing killing, and especially taking part in it, is particularly harmful to a child, who is still developing psychologically and emotionally. Children associated with military forces also face a higher risk of being sexually abused by adults or other children in their military group. Such traumatic events can disrupt children’s development, staying with them for the rest of their lives.
Recruited children in armed violence, also run a high risk of being killed or maimed, and of suffering serious psychological and social problems afterwards.