KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- The use of child soldiers in war is widespread around the world and is increasing in some African countries a human rights coalition said Friday.
The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers says in Ivory Coast, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, recruitment of children increased massively in 2003.
It claims a series of moves by the United Nations to eradicate such practices has made remarkably little progress.
The coalition said children are still being used as soldiers, sexual slaves, laborers, porters and spies. In Burma, testimony from former soldiers indicates up to 20 percent of recruits into the government's armed forces were under the age of 15.
The group, which includes Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, calls on the U.N. Security Council to renew its efforts against states and armed groups that use children in war.
Among its recommendations is ending the flow of weapons to those recruiting children, placing travel restrictions on leaders who use children in their armies and ending military assistance to them.
The United Nations is due to debate the issue of children and armed conflict next week.
