Children (boys) murdered and coerced into military roles in the Central African Republic

Article here. The article refers to them gender-neutrally as "children" when in fact it's boys they are talking about. Would CNN be talking about them as "children" if they were girls? Excerpt:

'Escalating violence in the Central African Republic is posing a threat to children, with at least two beheaded and thousands recruited as soldiers, the United Nations said.

The United Nations says it verified the deaths of 16 children since violence broke out in the capital of Bangui on December 5. Dozens of others have been injured.

"We are witnessing unprecedented levels of violence against children. More and more children are being recruited into armed groups, and they are also being directly targeted in atrocious revenge attacks," said Souleymane Diabate, UNICEF representative in the nation.'