Red Hand Day

Since 2002, February 12 is a date used to commemorate the "Red Hand Day". This is an annual commemoration, dedicated to fight against the practice of using children as soldiers in armed conflicts.
The Red Hand Day was created by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers; the date actually matches the one in which the United Nations brought into effect a protocol to protect the children's rights and to avoid their participation in wars and other struggle, which was approved back in the year 2000.
Unfortunately, although the protocol was signed and ratified by representatives of 92 different countries, it looks like its impact hasn't been as expected. It is notorious that many children are still active soldiers in disputes around the globe, mainly in some countries in Africa. Some deceiving numbers suggest that more than 200,000 children worldwide are active in armed conflicts, and a third of those children are girls.
It is remarkable to say that the impact in these children from such experiences is very negative. For those who survive in the battlefields, it is sometimes difficult to get into the society again. They normally don't go to school anymore nor find jobs; many of them have no option but to get involved in illegal activities. They also live traumatized for the rest of their lives, due to the brutality to which they were exposed during the childhood.
I find very interesting that there's a day in the year to commemorate these tragic episodes of human cruelty forgotten by many.
Say no to war, and say no to children in wars.

For more information about the Red Hand Day, visit its official site: http://www.redhandday.org/