About the Red Hand Day: Alliance calls for more humanitarian aid and commitment to peaceful conflict resolution
Berlin, February 11, 2025. On the occasion of the Red Hand Day, the international day of action against the use of children and soldiers as soldiers, the German alliance of children's soldiers urgently calls on the Federal Government to increase humanitarian aid and development cooperation for children affected by war and to work for peaceful conflict solutions and the criminal prosecution of the perpetrators.
"More and more children are affected by armed conflicts worldwide: in 2024 it was half a billion children in 2024," says Frank Mischo from Kindertothilfe, spokesman for the German Alliance Child Soldiers. "Around every fifth child today lives in crisis and conflict areas, proportionately twice as much as in the 1990s." More and more children are affected in armed conflicts of serious child rights violations: recruitment as soldiers, killing and mutilation, sexual violence, kidnapping, attacks on schools and hospitals and the refusal of humanitarian aid. Mischo warns: "Perpetrators must finally be consistently successful and prosecution, for example by the International Criminal Court, protected instead of hindered".
The alliance calls for the significant increase in funds for humanitarian aid and development aid for children affected by war. "Under no circumstances should help be hindered how it happens more and more, for example in Myanmar, in Gaza, West Bank and Afghanistan. Therefore, our local colleagues have to go more and more risky, often life -threatening ways to protect the children from starving or illness," says Ralf Willinger of Hommes, spokesman for the German Alliance Child Soldiers. "Everything must be done to stop violence and solve conflicts peacefully - on site and internationally. This is also our expectation to the new federal government."
The fact paper "Protect children in crises and conflicts better" with figures and facts on the six serious children's rights violations mentioned in armed conflicts and information on aid projects in the armed conflict in Myanmar can be found at www.kinder soldier.info
On February 12, 2002, the additional protocol of the Children's Rights Convention came into force in armed conflicts that prohibit the use of under 18-year-olds in armed conflicts. On the occasion of this Red Hand Day on February 12, the day against the use of children and adolescents as a soldier, the German Alliance for children's soldiers, together with numerous organizations, calls on actions with the symbol of the red hand worldwide. Already half a million people in over 50 countries have protested worldwide with their handprint against the abuse of children as soldiers. This year, too, red-hand actions will take place in numerous German cities such as Heidelberg, Duisburg, Berlin, Hanover and Freiburg. Many of the nine member organizations of the German Alliance for Children's Soldiers support aid projects for children's soldiers worldwide.
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Interviews are available to the spokesman for the German Alliance for Children's Soldiers
• Frank Mischo, Kindenothilfe, Tel.: 02 03/77 89-129, frank.mischo@knh.de
• Ralf Willinger, Terre des Hommes, Tel.: 05 41 /71 01-108, r.Willinger@tdh.de
Further information:
Kindersoldaten.info redhandday.org action-rote-hand.de
Members of the German Alliance for Children's Soldiers:
Action White Peace Band, German Peace Society DFG-VK, Kinderothilfe, German of the Lutheran World Federation, Missio, Pax Christi, Quäker-Hilfung Foundation, Terre des Hommes, World Vision