War is not a Playfield

It is incomprehensible that we have war. It is such a difficult concept for me to grasp. It is even more  incomprehensible to me that a child could be a soldier. War is not a playfield. It is not where any child should learn about life.

To learn more about the reality of this situation, watch this video, then please act by writing to your Senator or Representative.

In response to a letter that I wrote to my Senator, Patty Murray, if your senator is on the Senate Committee to the Judiciary, please write a letter.

Dear Mr. Shimada:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the use of child soldiers in armed conflicts.  I appreciate hearing from you and share your concerns regarding this important issue.

Despite the comforts and protections available to us here in the United States, we are still faced with the problems of human rights abuses abroad.  In recent years, violations of basic human rights have proceeded at a disturbing pace.  I am deeply troubled that children continue to be forced into combat, or sold into slavery.  As you may know, between 1995 and 2005, two million children have been killed in situations of armed conflict and six million have been permanently disabled or injured.  Many thousands have been exploited as child soldiers or kidnapped in conflict situations and subjected to rape or other sexual violence.

As you may know, the Optional Protocol on Child Soldiers has been ratified by numerous countries around the world, and entered into force on February 12, 2002.  The U.S. Senate unanimously agreed to the ratification of this protocol in June 2002, and the United States formally ratified it in December 2002.  Since ratification, implementation and enforcement have been key issues in addressing this continuing problem.

S. 1175, the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2007, is an attempt to address this issue by preventing U.S. government funding from going to governments that recruit or use child soldiers, though the President would have the option to waive that requirement.  S. 1175 has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, of which I am not a member.  Please rest assured that if this bill comes to the full Senate for a vote, I will keep your thoughts on this issue in mind.  If you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign up for my updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates. Thank you again for writing, and please keep in touch.