A UN expert today expressed concern about the increased risk of recruitment and use of children by armed forces. Unaccompanied children and children from poor families are allegedly targeted by RSF in the outskirts of Khartoum. Girls have also reportedly been abducted from Khartoum to Darfur for sexual exploitation, including sexual slavery.
KHARTOUM OCTOBER 16: A UN expert today expressed concern about the increased risk of recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) earlier this year.
“Unaccompanied children and children from poor families are allegedly targeted by RSF in the outskirts of Khartoum, as well as in Darfur and West Kordofan, for recruitment into combat roles,” said Siobhán Mullally, the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children.
Girls have also reportedly been abducted from Khartoum to Darfur for sexual exploitation, including sexual slavery. “The deteriorating humanitarian situation and lack of access to food and other basic services make children, especially unaccompanied and separated children on the streets, easy targets for recruitment by armed groups,” Mullally said.
Mullally called on all parties to the conflict to return to peace talks and reach a comprehensive ceasefire agreement that would allow for the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance and ensure accountability for alleged violations.
– “Urgent action is needed to address these pressing concerns and take effective measures to prevent child trafficking and provide effective protection to child victims and children at risk, in particular displaced, unaccompanied and separated children, refugee children and children with disabilities,” the Special Rapporteur said.
The expert has been in contact with both the RSF and Sudanese authorities.
Ms. Siobhán Mullally (Ireland) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2020, to promote the prevention of trafficking in persons in all its forms, and to encourage measures to uphold and protect the human rights of victims. She is also the Established Professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the School of Law, University of Galway.
Image: Lomoraronald
