Preventing the recruitment and use of children is central to transforming the multigenerational cycles of violence, said Shelly Whitman, Executive Director of Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security.
Dallaire institute held commemoration celebrations of the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers (also known as "Red Hand Day") to draw attention to the issue of child soldiers around the world, on February 28.
It followed workshop sessions that brought together representatives of the African Union, the United Nations, policymakers from across Africa, security personnel, and members of civil society, on February 27.
It aimed at forging strategies and actionable plans on the implementation of the Vancouver Principles on peacekeeping and prevention of the recruitment and use of children as soldiers in armed conflicts.
Every year, tens of thousands of children, both girls and boys are used by armed forces and armed groups in a variety of roles such as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers and spies, and for sexual purposes.
Whitman said that failure to interrupt the pattern of division will only create a world with desires to rectify the wrongs of the past, given today's impacts of conflict on children's mindsets, their belief system, their perceptions of the other.
"They all desire education, opportunities that empower them, and peaceful communities. Our approaches need to combine preventative responsive actions that can be targeted to address this great violation against children," she added.
However, she noted that such approaches are missing from the international peace and security agenda. Whitman challenged everyone to change the pattern of using children as instruments of war but rather of peace.
Lt. General (retired) Dallaire Romeo, founder of Dallaire Institute and former Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda between 1993 and 1994, said: "Red Hand day is a day where we become very conscious that children are in the frontlines and being abused as child soldiers".
"It's up to governments and international communities to put an end to that martyrdom that the children are going through," he added.
Clementine Mukeka, Permanent Secretary in The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the partnership between the government and Dallaire Institute has existed for over a decade and is built on Rwanda's history of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi where the former government forcefully recruited and used children and youth as a resourceful tool to kill.
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"Unfortunately, Similar malpractices still exist in many countries. Our actions remain unfortunately slow to put an end to the violence committed against our children in this regard."
She expressed the strong commitment of Rwanda to contribute to global and regional efforts to end the use of children in violence.
"We stand with our partners around the world to defend the rights of all children to live with dignity and be free of violence, exploitation and abuse, including in situations of conflict. Children represent the future of our countries and they must be protected," she added.
Thomas Kurz, Germany Ambassador to Rwanda highlighted that there has been results through trainings given to security personnel of integrating prevention-oriented, gender-responsive curricula on preventing the recruitment and use of children in conflict into security doctrine at national and regional levels.
"Through Rwanda's leadership, in cooperation with the Dallaire Institute and with support from the Federal Republic of Germany, efforts have been made to build the capacity of military, police and civilian personnel to effectively prevent the recruitment and use of children and to respond appropriately when encountering children in situations of armed conflict."
The Germany Federal Foreign Office remains the largest funder of the Dallaire Institute's programme activities.
Rwanda is the host country of this Centre of Excellence that seeks to facilitate all continental programmes focusing on child protection and promoting the rights of children through the peace and security agendas.
