On Red Hand Day: Alliance calls for more humanitarian aid and commitment to peaceful conflict resolution
Berlin, February 11, 2025. On the occasion of Red Hand Day, the international day of action against the use of children and young people as soldiers, the German Coalition Against Child Soldiers urgently calls on the Federal Government to increase humanitarian aid and development cooperation for children affected by war and to work towards peaceful conflict resolution and the prosecution of perpetrators.
“Worldwide, more and more children are affected by armed conflicts: We estimate that half a billion children were affected in 2024,” says Frank Mischo of Kindernothilfe, spokesperson for the German Coalition Against Child Soldiers. “Around one in five children now lives in crisis and conflict zones, proportionally twice as many as in the 1990s.” An increasing number of children in armed conflicts are victims of serious violations of their rights: recruitment as soldiers, killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian aid. Mischo warns: “Perpetrators must finally be consistently prosecuted, and prosecution, for example by the International Criminal Court, must be protected instead of obstructed.”.
The alliance is calling for a significant increase in funding for humanitarian aid and development assistance for children affected by war. “Aid must not be obstructed under any circumstances, as is happening with increasing frequency, for example in Myanmar, Gaza, the West Bank, and Afghanistan. Therefore, our colleagues on the ground are forced to take increasingly risky, often life-threatening paths to protect children from starvation or disease,” says Ralf Willinger of Terre des Hommes , spokesperson for the German Coalition Against Child Soldiers. “Everything must be done to stop the violence and resolve conflicts peacefully – both locally and internationally. This is also our expectation of the new German government.”
The fact sheet “Better Protection of Children in Crises and Conflicts,” containing figures and facts on the six serious violations of children’s rights mentioned above in armed conflicts, as well as information on aid projects in the armed conflict in Myanmar, can be found at www.kindersoldaten.info
On February 12, 2002, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict entered into force, prohibiting the use of persons under the age of 18 in armed conflict. To mark this Red Hand Day on February 12, the day against the use of children and young people as soldiers, the German Coalition Against Child Soldiers, together with numerous organizations worldwide, is calling for actions using the symbol of the red hand. Already, half a million people in over 50 countries have protested against the abuse of children as soldiers by leaving their handprints. This year, Red Hand actions are taking place in numerous German cities, including Heidelberg, Duisburg, Berlin, Hanover, and Freiburg. Many of the nine member organizations of the German Coalition Against Child Soldiers support aid projects for child soldiers worldwide.
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please contact the spokespersons of the German Coalition Against Child Soldiers:
• Frank Mischo, Kindernothilfe, Tel.: +49 203 / 77 89-129, frank.mischo@knh.de
• Ralf Willinger, Terre des Hommes , Tel.: +49 541 / 71 01-108, r.willinger@tdh.de
Further information:
kindersoldaten.info redhandday.org aktion-rote-hand.de
Members of the German Coalition Against Child Soldiers:
Action White Peace Ribbon, German Peace Society DFG-VK, Kindernothilfe, German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation, missio, Pax Christi, Quaker Relief Foundation, Terre des Hommes , World Vision