21 May 2010 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has for the first time in his report on Children and Armed Conflict, included a list of persistent violators for recruiting and using children. UN News Centre report

These violators, who have been in the annexes of the Secretary-General's report for at least five years, include rebel and militia fighters from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, as well as the transitional government of Somalia.

UN Deputy spokesperson Marie Okabe has more.

"The Secretary-General encourages the Security Council to consider more vigorous measures against these persistent violators and to consider including child recruitment and use in the mandates of all its sanctions committees. The report also lists state and non-state parties to conflict who have killed, maimed, raped and used sexual violence against children."

New to the annexes of the Secretary-General's report are the Afghan National Police, as well insurgents of the Convention of Patriots for Peace and Justice in the Central African Republic and Hizbul Islam in Somalia.