Two Rwanda Hutu Interhamwe Child Soldiers

A treaty banning children from being drafted into an army or rebel force, or taking part in fighting, comes into force Tuesday.

The United Nations and other international organizations will mark the occasion at a ceremony at U.N. headquarters in Geneva.

The Optional Protocol to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child was approved by the U.N. General Assembly in May 2000. It has been signed by 94 countries and has so far been ratified by 14, including Bangladesh, Canada, Congo and New Zealand.

The agreement bans all forced recruitment of children under age 18, whether by regular armies or by rebel forces. However, it lowers the age limit for voluntary recruitment to 16.

Child Soldiers in Sudan

The United States, which allows voluntary enlistment at 17, was among countries opposing a higher limit. Britain, which starts at 16, also expressed opposition. Both nations have signed the accord and have said they will ratify it.

More than half a million child soldiers have are believed to have taken part in conflicts in Sudan, Sierra Leone, Congo, Colombia, Angola, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Some information for this report provided by Reuters, AP and AFP.

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