The United States has removed Pakistan from a list of countries that allow recruitment of child soldiers.
Another list of countries that fail to adequately address human trafficking has been added by the US State Department, removing Pakistan off a list of prospective violators.
As of 2021, Pakistan had been added to the Child Soldiers Prevention List. The 2021 report charged Pakistan with,’ ‘Material support to non-state armed groups that recruited and exploited child soldiers,’. It was also stated in an earlier report that the Pakistani government did not register a single child soldiering conviction or investigation in 2021. Specifically, it called on Pakistan to “stop support to non-state armed groups that recruit and/or utilize child soldiers”.
Pakistan’s military stated in April 2019 that it will take control of more than 30,000 religious institutions, some of which non-state armed groups used to forcefully recruit child soldiers, the US State Department highlighted.
The 2022 CSPA List includes governments of the following countries:
- Afghanistan
- Myanmar
- Central African Republic
- Congo
- Iran
- Mali
- Russia
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Venezuela
- Yemen
With the exception of certain programs carried out under the authority of peacekeeping operations, the CSPA prohibits assistance to governments listed under the following authorities: international military education and training, foreign military financing, excess defense articles, and peacekeeping operations. Commercial sales of military equipment to such countries are also prohibited under CSPA licenses.
