Bangkok--12 Feb--Plan Asia A generation of children forced to fight against their will are being failed and forgotten when they finally return home, Plan, the leading children’s NGO, will say today. Urgent action is needed to defuse a ticking time bomb of traumatised and alienated former child soldiers who often face rejection by their communities when they return after years as unwilling conscripts with rebel groups or armies. Early teenage girls return home with babies and HIV/AIDS after being forced to become the “wives” of members of armed groups, offered as rewards to soldiers for victory in battle. They are also forced to fight. Boys as young as 11-years-old are traumatised by their experiences on the battlefield. Boys are also raped by commanders. Plan’s call for action comes ahead of tomorrow’s (February 12) debate by the United Nations Security Council on children in armed conflict. It follows a recent report by Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General, which warned children in refugee camps are at particular risk of abduction, as well as rape and other forms of physical and mental abuse and that not enough is being done to give former child soldiers real hope for the future. The international community must provide additional funding for projects to help former child soldiers to reintegrate into society and to do more to protect children from abduction by armed groups, Plan will say. The NGO’s call comes amid fears surrounding the future of tens of thousands of Kenyan children displaced since violence erupted in the wake of last year’s disputed elections. Tom Miller, Plan chief executive, will say: “Child victims of conflict endure unimaginable experiences that leave them traumatised and vulnerable to further abuse. “We all need to work harder to protect children from the worst effects of armed conflict. The international community must make clear it will not tolerate the abduction of children by armed groups and must do more to protect children in refugee camps who are at particular risk. “Children forced to fight have lost their childhoods, their futures must not be stolen too. We have a moral responsibility to provide the education, treatment and other support they need to rebuild their lives. “Failure to act will create a ticking time bomb of angry, alienated and traumatised youth whose only skills they have to rely on are those they learnt at war.” Mr Miller discussed the problems facing children in conflict when he recently met the UN Secretary General. He has also spoken to child soldiers across the globe about their experiences. Plan works in 49 developing countries to improve the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged children — including those caught up in conflict. In Nepal, one of seven of those countries whose problems were highlighted by the UN Secretary, Plan are involved in the Peace Home project which aims to raise awareness of the plight of such children. The project actively helps reintegrate affected children back into society by providing counselling service, facilitating their education in schools, and assisting in returning them back into their families and the community. Plan is committed to providing long-term community based support to children who suffer mental and physical injury, economic hardship or have their education ruined by conflict. Community based programmes are identified by Secretary General as the best chance of assisting young people to successfully return to society./ENDS The case of Manu, 18, Gorkha, Nepal Conflict affected children Manu is the eldest daughter of Mr. Indra Bahadur Kuwar and Mrs Dol Maya Kuwar. She has three sisters and two brothers. Her parent's occupation is agriculture. Her father works as wage labour. It is not enough for their livelihood from their little land. Therefore, her father also works in other's house as a wage labour. Her family‘s economic condition is very weak. When Manu was 14 years of age the rebel groups used to visit her and her family. These groups asked her to join them, but initially she refused. The rebel groups used to gather in their house and organise party activities. Dolmaya, her mother was severely beaten by security forces for supporting rebel groups. In 2003, she was abducted from her school by a rebel group and forced to work for them collecting donations. There were strict rules in the group and punishments for breaking them. Five months after her abduction she was arrested by government security forces. She was kept in an army camp for 112 days. It was an extra judicial task but she says now, “the situation was like that and there was no hearing from any corner”. She was tortured. She was beaten and asked to reveal where the insurgents were hiding weapons. She said: “The armed forces kept me mostly blind folded; hand cuffed and threatened many times to bury me alive." After her time in the camp she was held in custody for a further three months before the Red Cross rescued her and found her a place at a peace home supported by Plan. When she first arrived she used to suspect everyone, was generally afraid of any unknown person and didn't talk to anyone. She used to hide when she was seeing men and security personnel. After three months counselling, her behaviour started to return to normal. She slowly started making friends. Now, she is writing letters to her family and has resumed her education. She is studying in class 10 and will soon take the School Leaving Certificate examination. Note to editors: Plan works with more than 3.5 million families each year throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. Plan is committed to working with local communities to strengthen children’s rights. Mattias Bryneson, Plan Asia’s Program Support Manager, has extensive experience of children’s rights issues across the region and is available for interview. Video footage of interviews with former child soldiers is also available on request. The children’s names have been changed to protect their identity. More stories and further quotes from children affected by conflict in Nepal are available on request. Contact: Warisara Sornpet, Plan Asia’s Regional Communications Manager Tel: +66 (0) 2 204 2630-4 Mobile: +66 (0) 8 9202 7566 Email: warisara.sornpet@plan-international.org Web: www.plan-international.org/news/journalists/