Obama blasted for funding countries that recruit child soldiers

Human Rights Watch urged U.S. President Barack Obama to stop funding millions of dollars in military aid to countries that recruit child soldiers.

The international non-government organization immediately blasted the American president as the U.S. State Department released Thursday, June 30 a new list of countries that recruited child soldiers.

These countries include Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Jo Becker, children's rights advocacy director for HRW, wrote for Politico where she cited that some of these implicated countries have "received hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military assistance, despite continued — and even escalating — use of child soldiers."

"The United States has a powerful tool to pressure foreign countries to crack down on these abuses," wrote Becker. "But so far during his presidency, President Barack Obama has failed to use it effectively."

According to HRW, the 2008 Child Soldiers Prevention Act enables the president to be selective in granting military aid by withholding military assistance to countries that exploit children as soldiers in their national armed forces or government-supported militias and paramilitaries.

Becker summed up the Act's powerful message as saying, "If you want U.S. military aid, you need to stop recruiting children."

However, HRW cited that Obama chose in 26 of 33 cases to waive this law for national security reasons. Becker criticized the president's decision to use his override powers as she highlighted the previous cases of Congo and Rwanda where the administration effectively used the Act to positive effect.

"Obama has been far too quick to squander the law's power through the use of waivers," said Becker. "Withholding it until governments address their child soldier use seems like a no-brainer — an easy way to raise concerns and give abusive countries incentives to change their practices."

Speaking for HRW, Becker challenged Obama that he has one more chance until he leaves office by the end of September to use the full force of the law and send the message loud and clear that there will be no free pass to any of these countries until they end child recruitment.