At least 119 children were released by an armed group in South Sudan on Tuesday, bringing the total number of those freed since the conflict began in the country to over 3,100, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement.
48 girls were among the group, with the youngest being 10 years old.
“Every child no longer with an armed group represents a childhood restored and a future regained,” said UNICEF executive director, Henrietta Fore, who visited South Sudan in January last year.
According to UNICEF, since February 2018, more than 1,000 children have been released by the various armed groups in South Sudan.
“More and more children are being freed from armed groups in South Sudan, and while this is an encouraging development, there is still a long way to go before all children are returned to their families,” said Fore.
The release of the children, UNICEF said, took place in the south-west town of Yambio where the children had formerly been associated with the South Sudan National Liberation Movement, (SSNLM), which signed a peace agreement with the government in 2016.
During the process, each child was registered and provided with a certificate stating they were no longer affiliated with the group.
“They then met with social workers, health workers and education specialists to assess their immediate needs. They were also provided with a reintegration package including clothes, shoes, and other basic commodities. As with other groups, each child is provided with three years of reintegration support to assist their return to civilian life and prevent re-recruitment,” further read UNICEF’s statement.
It added, “For each released child assisted, one vulnerable child and their family from the host community are also supported to foster acceptance and promote a more sustainable reintegration”.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires governments to meet the basic needs of children and to help them reach their full potential.
“Five months after the signing of a peace agreement, UNICEF calls on all parties to South Sudan’s conflict to recommit themselves to upholding these rights and to ensuring that children are never soldiers,” said Fore.
But while exact data on the number of children used and recruited into armed conflict are difficult to confirm because of the unlawful nature of child recruitment, UNICEF estimates that tens of thousands of boys and girls under the age of 18 are used in conflicts worldwide.