Jreissati Condemns Employment of Children in Armed Conflicts
Caretaker Labor Minister Salim Jreissati condemned on Monday the employment of children in armed conflicts, especially in the northern city of Tripoli.
He said in a statement that such actions are criminal offenses in Lebanon and are punishable by law.
He made his comments in light of the emergence of a video showing a young girl firing a military rifle, with the assistance of a gunman, in one of the Tripoli neighborhoods.
“We urge security forces to halt the gunman who aided this innocent girl,” demanded Jriessati.
Protecting children should be a priority for all sides, he stressed.
“We must work tirelessly to prevent our criminal actions from rubbing off on our children, which will ensure our keenness on their future and the future of our nation,” he said.
Clashes between Tripoli's rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen broke out on May 19.
The sectarian fighting between the two main neighborhoods stretches back four decades to Lebanon's civil war, but it has become more frequent and increasingly lethal since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. The two districts support opposite sides.
The latest round of gunbattles had been the bloodiest yet, leaving at least 31 dead and more than 200 wounded.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/84627 |