300,000 CHILD SOLDIERS INVOLVED IN CONFLICTS

300,000 CHILD SOLDIERS INVOLVED IN CONFLICTS

(ANSA) - Turin, November 16 - There are an estimated 300,000 child soldiers in 86 countries but their number is likely much higher as more children are being recruited for active combat, according to experts meeting at an international conference in Turin on Monday.

"You have to take account of girl soldiers who are often not included in the estimates....the increase in conflicts means that the number of child soldiers has probably increased," said Margherita Boniver, the Italian government's special envoy for humanitarian emergencies.

"Another horrific phenomenon is the use of children as suicide bombers. It's one of the most horrible things ever conceived," said former Italian ambassador Boris Biancheri who, as head of the Institute for International Studies, organised the Turin meeting.

"The issue of child soldiers and conflicts is one of the most complicated to solve. There are a thousand reasons for it and very few solutions...there are hundreds of problems to deal with," he added

Boniver said that although Italy had set up a number of special programmes aimed at helping child soldiers, their return to normal life was further hindered by the extreme poverty in their native countries.