Members of the public sign a petition which calls on the government to adhere to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and to challenge those countries who are signed up to the convention yet choose to ignore it. An 'Optional Protocol' to the Convention was adopted in 2000 and came into force in 2002. It prohibits the direct participation of under 18s in armed conflict and sets 18 as the minimum age for recruitment by armed groups and for compulsory recruitment by governments. Yet there are still at least 250,000 under 18s serving as soldiers in armed conflicts around the world.