China Signs UN Optional Protocol on ChildrenChina on Thursday signed a United Nations document on the protection of children's rights in armed conflicts.The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts was adopted by the UN General Assembly on May 25 last year and then became open for signature by UN member states. It prohibits the compulsory recruitment of children under 18 and their participation in combat. Signing the document on behalf of the Chinese government, Wang Yingfan, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said the move once again demonstrated the great importance China attached to the issue of protecting children's rights. So far, 78 countries have signed and three of them have ratified the document, which is yet to come into force. |
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