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Justice For Child Soldiers

For years, the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been caught in bloody wars. Rebel fighters battle each other and government troops. Many children have been forced to serve as soldiers. Now, for the first time, an international court in the Hague, Netherlands, has brought to trial a man who is believed to have sent children to fight.

On January 26, Thomas Lubanga appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC is an independent, permanent court. A treaty signed by 108 countries created the court. It tries people accused of crimes against humanity, including war crimes. Lubanga is accused of using kids under age 15 as soldiers. He says he is not guilty.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo is conducting the case against Lubanga. He told three judges that Lubanga used hundreds of young children as fighters. "They cannot forget what they suffered, what they saw, what they did," Moreno-Ocampo said.

Up to 250,000 child soldiers are estimated to be fighting in conflicts around the world. Param-Preet Singh is a lawyer who works for Human Rights Watch. He says the ICC trial makes it clear that "the use of children in armed combat is a war crime that can and will be prosecuted."

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