One month remains in the Red Hand Day Campaign to end the use of child soldiers. Student, community, and other groups from all over the world have been collecting ‘red hands’ which will be presented to UN officials in New York on February 12, to urge stronger international action to stop the recruitment and use of children as soldiers.
Human Rights Watch provides a resource pack to help plan ‘red hand’ events. It includes photos of Red Hand Day activities held in different parts of the world, fact sheets, and other background information.
Some folks are holding special Red Hand Day events in their communities to coincide with the event in New York.
Ideas featured in the resource pack include:
- Holding bake sales with “red hand” cookies;
- Approaching city councils to have February 12 declared “Red Hand Day”;
- Setting up action tables at schools to invite students to sign petitions calling for an end to the use of child soldiers;
- Delivering red hands to members of Congress – take them to local offices or mail them to Washington.
Share your experience by posting photos of your event or sending email reports.
To have red hands delivered to the UN on February 12, please time them to arrive no later than February 6, 2009. Send them to Red Hand Day Campaign, c/o HRW, 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10118.
During 2009, the 20th anniversary of the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Office of Child Advocacy, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and the Presbyterian United Nations Office are partnering to keep the issue of child soldiers at the forefront.