A CATHOLIC leader on Wednesday expressed concern over the increasing number of minors joining rebel groups to fight the government and urged the Duterte administration to stop it.
Ozamiz Archbishop Martin Jumoad, a member of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said the government must double its efforts to win the sympathy of young people.
Poverty and the lack of parental guidance were the main reasons why the young were joining armed groups, but Jumoad said the government must counter this problem by providing families particularly in the Mindanao with livelihood assistance and education.
He said recruiting child warriors was not new in Mindanao as was being done by the Maute group, one of several Islamist groups in the country’s troubled south.
He said young people were sometimes enticed to join rebel groups because of poverty and lack of guidance from their parents.
He also called on local catechists and Islamic leaders to be more concerned about the issue and help prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts.
“Ustadz and catechists must do our share in reaching out to the periphery so that the values of the Almighty will be heard and lived by them,” Jumoad said.
He said recruiting child soldiers was unacceptable because it violated their human rights.
“Mindanao will never become peaceful if children are exposed to violence. Children must be in school so that Mindanao will have a bright future,” Jumoad said.