The Use of Children in Armed Conflict

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The Use of Children in Armed Conict Frankish 1

The Use of Children in Armed Conflict

Bryden Frankish

J Toole

May 11, 2016


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Preface

The use of soldiers in ar is common, ith men ran!in! from a!es 1" u# to their late

60$s and %0$s as they fi!ht for their countries, &ut the countries in need of a more e'#enda&le

fi!hter ha(e resorted to the use of children) Children in the use of armed com&at, or *Child+oldiers, is a !lo&al issue hich has &een #re(alent in the #ast and the #resent, and has the

#otential to &ecome an e(en lar!er issue in the future) -t is estimated that ithin the last 10 years,

o(er 10 million children ha(e &een killed due to ar ./arreau) Many of these children ho

ere killed ere either ounded, dis#laced, or#haned or e'#loited, &ut a maority of those killed

ere child soldiers) Thou!h, due to the lack of co(era!e, this issue has remained a mystery to a

lar!e #art of the orld for a lon! time, hich has alloed the issue to increase in se(erity o(er

the years) ith #ro#er e'#osure and the circulation of knoled!e on the issue, the use of

children in armed com&at ould cease, those ho ha(e used them ould &e &rou!ht to ustice,

and many children$s li(es could &e #reser(ed)

The term child soldier is mentioned sometimes hen talkin! a&out armed conflict in third

orld countries, &ut not many #eo#le actually associate the ord ith its true meanin!) Many

#eo#le really don$t kno hat a child soldier is, hich is due to the minimal knoled!e on the

to#ic &ein! shared) The internationally a!reed u#on definition of a Child +oldier is

A child associated ith an armed force or armed !rou# refers to any #erson &elo 1"years of a!e ho is, or ho has &een, recruited or used &y an armed force or armed !rou#

in any ca#acity, includin! &ut not limited to children, &oys and !irls, used as fi!hters,

cooks, #orters, s#ies or for se'ual #ur#oses .Child 3ecruitment)

Children do sometimes oin the armed !rou#s as they may ant re(en!e or ant to fi!ht for their

countries, &ut the maority are in(oluntarily recruited, usually &ein! forced to oin or atch their

lo(ed ones &e tortured and killed) Currently, there are re#orts of u# to 240,000 children hich are

in(ol(ed ith these armed military !rou#s, and as many as 10 to 50 of them are !irls used asse' sla(es, or *i(es, to the male soldiers .Child +oldiers -nternational) The #resent use and an

increasin! num&er of Child +oldiers ha(e made it a !roin! issue in the orld today, and could

#otentially &ecome an e(en lar!er #ro&lem in the immediate future)


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The issue of child soldiers is one of !lo&al si!nificance due to the amount of countries

hich use children in armed conflict, and the location of the children ho are affected) -n #ast

studies, the num&er of armed !rou#s hich de#loyed children in armed conflict !re from 70 in

2006, to 4% in 200%, hich is a 72)4 increase .8um&er of Armed) These !rou#s, for the most

#art, are located in de(elo#in! nations in the Middle 9ast, Asia, and Africa, due to their #o(erty

and de#ri(ed ays of life, hich !i(es the children little choice &ut to oin armed !rou#s as a

means to sur(i(e) As of January 2011, it has &een re#orted that there are at least 1: countries

hich de#loy the use of children in armed conflict .Child +oldiers -nternational, and those are

only the ones hich are knon) ith (ery little ne e(idence of countries hich make use of

child soldiers, it is unknon hether the issue has orsened, &ut hat is knon is that it is still

an on!oin! issue #re(alent in the orld today)

ith the shon increase in !rou#s hich recruit and de#loy children in armed conflict,

the !lo&al issue of child soldiers has !ron into a maor concern for countries hich not only

house these !rou#s &ut for countries around the orld hich o##ose them as ell) These factors

contri&ute to the reasons as to hy this issue should &e deemed an international #ro&lem and

should recei(e more attention to #otentially hel# sol(e it)


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Table of Contents

;reface


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Summary of Research Methods

This re#ort e'amines the use of children in armed conflict and #ro(ides information on

the history of child soldiers in the #ast and the #resent) -t analy?es the issue and ho it affects the

orld on an international scale) The aim of this re#ort is to #ro(ide a thorou!h understandin! ofthe to#ic and #resent the ma!nitude of ho ha?ardous the issue is on the international scale) The

maority of information included in this re#ort is from knoled!e ac@uired throu!h the use of a

(ariety of research techni@ues such as informational re#orts online, nes#a#er articles,

inter(ies, statements from international or!ani?ations, ellresearched nes articles, multi#le

;F files from or!ani?ations and scholars, and #u&lished orks of e'#erts #ertainin! to the

issue) iki#edia as used as a startin! #oint for research) hene(er #ossi&le, the inclusion of

information from trusted or!ani?ations like U8-C9F, Child +oldiers -nternational, and ar

Child, ere utili?ed in this re#ort) o#in! to #ro(ide a re#ort free of &ias toards any side on the

issue, the inclusion of articles and statements from the !rou#s hich utili?e children for armed

conflict ha(e &een researched so as to ensure that e(ery #ers#ecti(e as re#resented)


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Background

The use of children in armed conflict, althou!h &rutal due to its unorthodo' recruitment

and trainin! #rocess, isn$t a recent occurrence in society) -t has actually &een a##arent in many

forms throu!hout history, from the ancient /reeks to the =ord$s 3esistance Army, and stillcurrently ith the -slamic +tate of -ra@ and +yria)

-n ancient /reece, it is said that children as youn! as se(en years old ere taken from

their homes and mothers &y +#artan soldiers .The +#artans) These &oys ould &e trained to &e

used on the &attlefield as s#ear carriers, messen!ers, or e(en mechanics, leadin! to them &ein!

thrust into adulthood due to their #artici#ation in conflicts) Much like the ancient /reeks, many

children in the last tenty years ha(e &een taken from their homes forcefully &y militari?ed

!rou#s and used as child soldiers in armed conflict) -n U!anda, children as youn! as ei!ht ha(e&een kidna##ed &y the =ord$s 3esistance Army D=3A for shortE and forced to either oin their

ranks as soldiers or &e killed .Mark) As ell as the =3A$s use of child soldiers, the !rou# hich

is knon as the -slamic +tate of -ra@ and +yria, or more commonly knon as -+-+, has &een

increasin! their use of children in armed conflict &y a sta!!erin! num&er) -n the #ast year, there

has &een a count of ei!htynine child soldiers hich ere killed as suicide &om&ers fi!htin! for

-+-+ .earden) -t is currently unknon ho many children are &ein!, or ha(e &een, recruited &y

-+-+, &ut it is e(ident that they are &ein! recruited and trained to fi!ht for them as child soldiers

due to se(eral #ro#a!anda (ideos, e(idence throu!h conflict, and direct statements from the

!rou# itself)

The maority of child soldiers in the #ast and #resent ha(e &een, and still are, recruited

in(oluntarily throu!h the means of force, &ut a small #ercenta!e of children oin the !rou#

(oluntarily) This is due to a num&er of factors such as maor #o(erty, the discrimination they face

from their (illa!es, and the fear im#osed on them &y the !rou#s themsel(es .3oot Causes) The

!lo&al issue hich is Child +oldiers has &een a #art of humanity$s history in conflicts and has

recently !ron si!nificantly in the #ast fe decades due to more consistent co(era!e around the

orld)

The ars and &attles in(ol(in! the ancient /reeks are classic e'am#les of e'em#lary

conflict ithin the history of society) Unfortunately, the e'#loitation of children to fi!ht for their

armies seem to &e o(erlooked &y many as they ha(e influenced ho child soldiers are used in


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conflicts #resently) Boys as youn! as se(en years old ould &e taken from their mothers and

forced to train as soldiers, most likely s#endin! the rest of their li(es as a soldier for the +#artan

army .The +#artans) >nce recruited, the +#artan children ould !o throu!h a &rutal trainin!

#rocess until they ere ei!hteen) Throu!h the &rutal trainin! techni@ues such as learnin! skills of

sur(i(al, &ein! fed (ery #oorly, and e(en &ein! forced to march e(eryhere ithout #rotecti(e

footear .Ancient /reek, children ere tau!ht hat as re@uired of them hen it came to

shoin! #ain) They ere told a story of a &oy ho alloed a fo' to che into his stomach

ithout shoin! #ain, so as not to alert his officer that he had hidden a fo' underneath his shirt)

The story concludes ith the line *This as the +#artan ay) .The +#artans) The #ur#ose of

the story as to teach the children to ne(er sho #ain or eakness, as it as ho +#artans

anted their soldiers to act) The use of this story ould #lace fear ithin the &oys and most

likely ha(e an im#act on their mental state, as, ironically, they ere forced to ne(er sho fear

and alays a&ide &y the +#artan ay) The recruitment and trainin! techni@ues used for child

soldiers in today$s society seem to &e influenced &y those used &y the /reeks in the #ast)

A more recent e'am#le of children$s use in armed conflict is the =ord$s 3esistance Army,

or =3A, as they kidna# and force children to fi!ht for them) This as achie(ed &y usin! a (ariety

of techni@ues hich are common#lace ithin the mani#ulation of recruitin! children) The =3A

as formed in the early :0$s, and since then ha(e ado#ted a #olicy hich includes forci&ly

recruitin! and usin! children ithin their armed forces as either soldiers, cooks, #orters or s#ies

.The =ord$s) To a&duct these children, the =3A constantly raided (illa!es in central U!anda,

until 200" durin! the Ju&a ;eace Talks) +ince then, they ha(e &een stayin! close to the &order

re!ions of the emocratic 3e#u&lic of Con!o, +outh +udan, and the Central African 3e#u&lic)

The leader of the =3A, Jose#h ony, has com#lete control o(er the soldiers, hich are mostly

children #resently due to his diminishin! num&ers) -t is said that *


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identity for the =3A &y #erformin! s#ecial rituals, fa&ricatin! the identity of their

leader, Jose#h ony, into one hich is a !odly, all #oerful &ein!, and finally the

#romise of #oer and ealth to &ri&e the children into fi!htin! for them

Forcin! them to kill their #arents, causin! them to ha(e no family to esca#e to

aily &eatin!s, marchin!, &ullyin! and star(ation to tou!hen the recruits u# Forcin! them to &eat and kill soldiers ho tried to esca#e the =3A

.o Jose#h ony)

9(en if a child ere to esca#e the clutches of the =3A, the lastin! im#act of their &rutality ould

still ha(e an effect on them, #hysically and mentally) Traumati?ed, the children ould &e una&le

to reinte!rate &ack into society #ro#erly due to their #oor mental state) hen the children ould

return home, some ould dis#lay (iolent &eha(iour hich ould re@uire them to see s#ecialists

and hel# them reha&ilitate for multi#le years .Child +oldiers in U!anda) 8orman >kello, a

former child soldier ho as a&ducted &y the =3A, had trou&le &ein! &ack ith his #arents after

esca#in!) e admitted that *The ay - &eha(e, it as (ery rou!h, e(en to my #arents,$ says

8orman) I+ometimes e(en my #lan as a&out killin! them).+torr) The &rutal techni@ues the

=3A used to transform the children into killers, alon! ith the lastin! im#act it had on those ho

esca#ed, has led to thousands of children to &ecome affected .KA on Jose#h ony in a

ne!ati(e ay)

The #re(ention of children &ein! used in armed conflict has in(ol(ed the use of

com#anies and las hich ere #ut in #lace as a result of this issue) Many com#anies, such as

Invisible Childrenand Child Soldiers International, ha(e &een created as a means to #ro(ide

e'#osure for the issue, and to hel# #re(ent the recruitment of child soldiers) As ell, the

im#lementation of certain las, like in 200% ith the ;aris ;rinci#les on the -n(ol(ement of

Children in Armed Conflict, ha(e &een #ut in #lace to #re(ent the recruitment of children in

armed conflict .Child 3ecruitment and Use)

The #ast instances and increase in the use of children in armed conflict are e(ident in

o(er 1: countries s#annin! across the !lo&e) .Child +oldiers -nternational G FAs L+ee

A##endi' - The mani#ulation and e'#loitation of these minors not only affects the children

themsel(es, &ut also those ho ha(e to fi!ht a!ainst them) The soldiers ho see child soldiers in

com&at sometimes are hesitant a&out fi!htin! a!ainst children, as they are, for the most #art,

forced into the situation .a#lan) By knoin! the ma!nitude and e'#loitation of the use of


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children in armed conflict, hich has &een e(ident in the #ast and currently in the #resent, one

can fully understand ho im#ortant it is that this issue !ains more su##ort from society to hel#

#ut a sto# to this horrific act)

Expert


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r) ;eter ) +in!er is the author of se(eral aard innin! &ooks #ertainin! to the

different as#ects of ar) e studied at ar(ard Uni(ersity and recei(ed his ;h)) in /o(ernment,

and has also recei(ed his B)A) from ;rinceton Uni(ersity) e is the founder of his on

technolo!y ad(isory firm called 8eo=uddite, is an accom#lished author, and is currently an

editor forPopular Science. +ome of his most nota&le ork ha(e &een featured in many maor

media outlets, such as theBoston Globe, theWorld Policy Journal,theLos Angeles i!es and

the Washington Post. r) +in!er has s#oken at o(er %0 uni(ersities around the orld and has

&een named as one of the to# 100 inno(ators of the nation &y"e#ense $e%s.As ell, r) +in!er

has ritten a multitude of articles and an aard innin! &ook on the issue of child soldiers and

the atrocities they ha(e faced .+in!er =os)

hen #eo#le associate children ith ar, they don$t reali?e that they actually #lay a

much lar!er role ithin the conflict itself as a child soldier) r) +in!er tries to remedy that notion

&y educatin! those in the dark a&out the issue, and its effects on not only the outcome of the

conflict itself &ut also on those directly affected &y it) e &rin!s li!ht to the issues throu!h his

&ook, Children at War, and throu!h se(eral articles hich e'#lain the history &ehind children

in(ol(ed in armed conflict) e has also #ro#osed se(eral solutions to the #ro&lem itself, statin!

that endin! the use of child soldiers is *not only a moral o&li!ation &ut a strate!ic

mandate).+in!er, 3o&ots)

r) +in!er has &een an ad(ocate for the s#read of knoled!e on the issue of child soldiers

since 2001 hen he #u&lished his #a#er, Caution& Children at War) -n the #a#er, +in!er descri&es

hat he &elie(es are the main three factors hich lead to children &ecomin! in(ol(ed in armed

conflict) These factors include #ools of #otential recruits &ein! created due to ar, #o(erty and

!lo&ali?ations, inno(ations in !uns hich allo children to use them more effecti(ely, and the

lo cost of children com#ared to the normal adult soldier) e !oes on and says *The ultimate

aim is to foster a de#endency that &inds children to their armed or!ani?ation) .+in!er, 3o&ots)

Children ho ha(e &een recruited either (oluntarily or in(oluntarily soon &ecome accustomed to

their ne ay of life and start to conform to their ne leaders, hich is dan!erous to themsel(es

and those they affect directly)

r) +in!er has !athered research of hy children seem to follo orders &lindly and #ut

themsel(es at risk ithout thinkin! of the conse@uences) e connects these choices ith a


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central theme #resent in almost e(ery case, hich is fear .+in!er 3o&ots) The fear is hat &inds

children to their armed !rou#s and dictates ho they res#ond to orders !i(en to them &y their

commanders) hen +in!er inter(ieed a ten year old &oy, he learned that the armed !rou#s

hich recruited him forced the &oy to kill another child soldier as a means to o(ercome the fear

he felt a&out killin! .+in!er Children) This is ironic &ecause &y killin! the &oy and *o(ercomin!

the fear, a ne fear as aakened ithinN one hich as of his su#eriors ho forced him to

kill)

r) +in!er$s #ersonal stance on child soldiers is that *There is no moral e'cuse for

sendin! children into &attle, &ut the dark reality is that this terri&le #ractice is a re!ular feature of

modern arfare).+in!er Fi!htin!) e &elie(es it isn$t ri!ht to send a child to fi!ht in a ar, and

also thinks that &y lettin! !rou#s similar to the ay Al aeda used children, that they further

their influence and !ras# on society .+in!er Fi!htin!)

ith a (ast knoled!e on the su&ect of child soldiers, r) +in!er has some #ro#osed

ideas hich #ertain to aidin! in the end of use of children in armed conflict) For forces hich

must en!a!e children on the &attlefield, +in!er su!!ests all soldiers should follo a sim#le set of

fi(e !uidelines) They areH

-ntelli!enceN kno the stren!th of o##osin! force

Force ;rotectionN some children #ose risks, meanin! all situations must &e

handled as if e(ery child is a risk

9n!a!ementN &e aare of e(ery situation &y firin! a arnin! shot.s to shock

o##osin! force, #ro(idin! esca#e routes for the affected child, and en!a!in! the

source of #oer, hich is usually the adult fi!ure

AftermathN those affected may re@uire immediate assistance after conflict

Break the CycleN #ro(ide and su##ort #ro#er reha&ilitation for those affected

.+in!er 3o&ots

Throu!h the use of these tactics, soldiers could #ro(ide sal(ation for child soldiers and !rant

them access to a much &etter #ostconflict life)

Attackin! the issue of child soldiers at the root of the #ro&lem is another key factor hich

could hel# a&olish the use of children in armed conflict) r) +in!er &elie(es that &y limitin! the

#otential for recruitment and restrainin! armed !rou#s access to children, the total num&er of


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minors hich are recruited could encounter a hea(y decrease) e deduces that &y limitin! the

amount of !uns !i(en to !rou#s usin! children, a##rehendin! those in #oer hich allo the

#rocess to continue, eliminatin! #rofits hich com#anies !ain from !rou#s utili?in! child

soldiers, and im#lementin! aid #ro!rams to hel# reha&ilitate those affected .+in!er =os, the

on!oin! issue of child soldiers ould come to a halt) Most im#ortantly, +in!er &elie(es that the

issue is at the hands of those ith the res#onsi&ility, hich are the !o(ernments and militaries of

the countries affected directly) -f they reali?ed the se(erity of the issue and took a##ro#riate

action, +in!er thinks the cycle of child soldiers ould come to an end .+in!er, ;eter ) =os)

r) ;eter ) +in!er$s thorou!h knoled!e of child soldiers has the #oer to &rin! li!ht to

an issue cast in the darkness, and he has the a&ility to #ro(ide knoled!e of the use of child

soldiers to the orld due to his influence on society) The use of children in armed com&at is a

tra!edy un&eknon to most and is one hich should &e ended immediately)

Role of Control

/rou#s and countries hich utili?e children for armed com&at stri(e for com#lete control

o(er not only their actions &ut their minds as ell) They try to achie(e this &y the means of a


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com&ination of mani#ulati(e techni@ues) Throu!h the use of &rainashin!, merciless killin!, and

fear, many armed !rou#s are (ery accom#lished at maintainin! the control they ha(e o(er

children)

A (ery common techni@ue used &y armed !rou#s to maintain control o(er the children is&rainashin!) As r) =arence ilson defines it, *Brainashin! is the systematic, and alays

(iolent, &ut not alays conscious, distortion or conditionin! of the mind of another #erson for

selfish or other harmful #ur#oses usin! o#erant conditionin!) .ilson) -n the case of children

&ein! &rainashed for armed conflict, the (ictim, hich is the child, is often mani#ulated for

selfish intentions &y the #er#etrator, hich are the armed !rou#s ho ha(e control o(er the child)

A common tactic amon! armed !rou#s to maintain control is usin! intimidation and constant

threats) As a ay to make the children com#ly ith their demands, the commanders ould

threaten the children ith death or #unishment directly, and if that didn$t ork, they ould mo(e

on and threaten the li(es of the child$s family .+alinas) These !rou#s usually inflicted (iolence

on the child, such as &eatin! them senselessly, or e(en forcin! the child to inflict (iolence on

others) This included their on families and other child soldiers, as a means to distort or

condition their minds into fi!htin! for them)

Throu!h the im#lementation of techni@ues such as &rainashin!, current radical !rou#s

such as the =3A and -+-+ are a&le to maintain their control o(er children and force them to

#artici#ate in armed conflict) From 1:"" to 2007 alone, the =3A ha(e kidna##ed o(er 50,000

kids .*ey +tatistics, and an estimated total of ei!htynine children under the a!e of ei!hteen

ha(e died since the &e!innin! of 2014 as suicide &om&ers for -+-+ .Bloom) /rou#s such as the

=3A and -+-+ are dan!erous as they are illin! to kidna# and em#loy children in com&at

situations) +imilarly, other military !rou#s hich use child soldiers are usually located in

im#o(erished areas torn a#art &y ar) This !rants them the o##ortunity to take ad(anta!e of the

situation and o##ose the !o(ernments they des#ise &y em#loyin! children in their ranks) As

e&ster Uni(ersity #rofessor, Ale'andre J) Oautra(ers states, *-t can &e ar!ued that #aramilitary

or re&el !rou#s ill more fre@uently resort to the use of child soldiers, as these !rou#s are often

acti(e a!ainst authoritarian re!imes) .Oautra(ers, Ale'andre J)) By utili?in! children ithin

their ranks, radical !rou#s similar to -+-+ and the =3A are a&le to mani#ulate their soldiers and


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refuse to com#ly ith their !o(ernments, #uttin! them in control of not only their situations &ut

their soldiers as ell)

ith !rou#s like -+-+ and the =3A in control o(er children and forcin! them to

#artici#ate in armed conflict, countries ith o##osed !o(ernments located in im#o(erishedcountries need to take action to re!ain their control o(er !rou#s hich use child soldiers) *There

are thousands of child soldiers in(ol(ed in the conflicts affectin! Chad, Central African 3e#u&lic

DCA3E and +udan.U8-C9F +eeks stated Mar?io Ba&ille, a re#resentati(e and child$s ri!ht

acti(ist for the !rou# U8-C9F ho as stationed in Chad durin! 2010 and itnessed the

atrocities first hand) The im#o(erished countries and nations, much like Chad and +udan, hich

are affected &y radical !rou#s ho em#loy child soldiers ha(e lost control of the situation and

ha(e alloed the military !rou#s to commit crimes hich could &e held accounta&le in front of

the -nternational Criminal Court .U8-C9F +eeks) ith #ro#er control of the situation and the

im#lementation of ne re!ulations hich #re(ent the recruitment of children for armed conflict,

countries and !o(ernments could hel# #ut an end to the issue of child soldiers)

Children ho are used for armed conflict has &een an issue for countless years, affectin!

multi#le #eo#le and countries around the orld) Those affected directly, and indirectly from

child soldiers include the families ho lost their children, the !o(ernment ho o##ose the

!rou#s hich use children, and the soldiers ho ha(e to face the children on the &attlefield

.a#lan) These mentioned !rou#s and the countless others are affected &y the issue of child

soldiers and ha(e the most in(ested in #re(entin! the recruitment of children in the future) The

mani#ulation and e'#loitation of child soldiers ha(e also rallied the su##ort of do?ens of

inde#endent and international or!ani?ations hich fi!ht for the ri!hts of children from all o(er

the orld, includin! !rou#s such as ar Child, -n(isi&le Children, Child +oldiers -nternational,

and the U8)

Accordin! to a re#ort from the U8, 25 #arties, ele(en of them &ein! !o(ernment forces

and the other tel(e &ein! nonstate armed forces, ha(e si!ned an a!reement to follo an action

#lan hich hel#s #re(ent recruitment &y im#lementin! security measures, and #ro(idin! the

o##ortunity for reinte!ration &ack into society for child soldiers .Action ;lans) These !rou#s

mentioned are the ones hich ha(e &een affected &y this issue the most, &ut out of the tenty

three !rou#s hich si!ned, only nine ha(e actually folloed throu!h on their #lan to hel#


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#re(ent recruitment, and reha&ilitate children ho ere affected) The countries affected directly

&y this issue aren$t the only ones ho should &e!in to take the issue more seriously, and as

author ;eter ) +in!er states, *The use of child soldiers makes conflicts easier to start, harder to

end and #eace a!reements more difficult to maintain) .+in!er) hen fi!htin! a!ainst !rou#s

hich utili?e children as soldiers, countries must reali?e that not assistin! in the resolution of the

issue is only im#edin! their #ro!ress in endin! the conflict sooner)

-n conclusion, ithout #ro#erly acknoled!in! the issue of child soldiers, it is e(ident

that it &ecomes much more accessi&le for armed !rou#s to start an unanted conflict) Those ho

ish to a(oid conflict and ar alto!ether should &e the ones ho care the most a&out the issue of

child soldiers, as it has the #otential to assist &oth those ho ant to a(oid hostilities and those

ho are directly affected &y child soldiers that are utili?ed for armed conflict)

Logic of Eil


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To o&ser(e throu!h another$s #ers#ecti(e and deci#her hy they ustify their actions or

&eliefsN this is the #remise &ehind the lo!ic of e(il) -n the case of child soldiers, the lo!ic &ehind

the utili?ation of children for armed conflict is ho the !rou#s ustify their actions, or in other

ords, the lo!ic &ehind their e(il is hy they use child soldiers) Many s#eculate that !rou#s

hich use children in armed conflict are sim#ly e(il and must &e sto##ed) But to truly

understand the com#le'ity of the use of child soldiers, one must analy?e the thou!ht #rocess

hich armed !rou#s for!o to ustify hy they recruit children and reali?e ho they rationali?e

their actions)

Many radical !rou#s hich ha(e a stron! reli!ious &ack!round &elie(e that the use of

children as soldiers is ustified &ecause of ho they inter#ret hat is said in their reli!ious te't)

-n the ei!hth edition of the"abi', hich is the -slamic +tate$s #ro#a!anda ma!a?ine, it states

that

The -slamic +tate has taken u#on itself to fulfill the UmmahPs .the !lo&al community of

Muslims duty toard this !eneration &y #re#arin! it to face the crusaders and their allies

in defense of -slam) ))) -t has esta&lished institutes for these lion cu&s to train and hone

their military skills< .;aras?c?uk

-+-+$s &eliefs and inter#retations of their reli!ion aid them in ustifyin! their use of their *lion

cu&s, hich is ho -+-+ refers to their child militants, .;aras?c?uk in com&at)

+imilar to ho -+-+$s reli!ious (ies arrant their use of child soldiers, ;akistani and

Muslim militants ustify their actions of recruitin! children &ecause of their reli!ion) They

&elie(e that children are ust tools hich their !ods ha(e !i(en them, and they also thank Allah

for #ro(idin! them ith an unlimited num&er of children to use for com&at) .Franklin) These

may ust &e different inter#retations of se(eral reli!ious te'ts, &ut they do #ro(ide ustification

from the #er#etrators #ers#ecti(e, alloin! them to continue their actions as if they ere

folloin! their !od$s ishes)

Child soldiers are (ery &eneficial to armed !rou#s as they ha(e se(eral contri&utin!

factors that are desira&le, such as their (ulnera&ility and their effecti(eness in armed conflict)

/rou#s sometimes ha(e children (oluntarily oin as they are in com#licated situations here

they are more (ulnera&le if they aren$t #art of the !rou#) This allos armed !rou#s to !ain #lenty


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of e'#enda&le soldiers, hich usually oin &ecause it !rants them access to food and shelter

.3oot Causes) +ome Maoist commanders ustify their use of these children ho (olunteer &y

sayin! *e cannot sto# the children ho are im#ressed ith our ideolo!y and interested in our

#arty acti(ities


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thousands of youn! men and middle a!ed men, they also take hundreds if not thousands of

children .hy +outh +udan$s) ithout the fear of &ein! #rosecuted for their actions of

recruitin! children, +outh +udan commanders ha(e little incenti(e to sto#, due to their need for

the num&ers to fill their ranks) As ell, ith &irth rates in +outh +udan reachin! almost dou&le

the orld a(era!e in 2015, .Birth 3ate and the #o(erty headcount in 2010 &ein! ust o(er 40

.;o(erty K 9@uity, there is a #lentiful su##ly of children hich ould &e easy tar!ets for the

commanders to recruit) 3ecent estimates &y the U8 declare that the median a!e of +outh +udan

is 1")% years old .+outh +udan ;o#ulation, meanin! that the country has a (ery youn!

#o#ulation) This all #ertains to the issue of the commanders$ lo!ic, hich is that they need to fill

their ranks, and they aren$t afraid to use children since they make u# a lar!e #art of the

#o#ulation)

To understand a situation in hich a !rou# or country uses child soldiers, one must look

from the #ers#ecti(e of the #er#etrators and reali?e the lo!ic to the e(il they commit) For some,

the reliance on children in armed conflict is too im#ortant for their cause, hile for others, they

&elie(e the use of child soldiers is an atrocity hich must &e sto##ed, no matter the

conse@uences) The de#endence on children &y the !rou#s hich utili?e them for conflict is one

hich is unnecessary, and the most lo!ical course of action for them mi!ht &e to find a more

feasi&le alternati(e)

Case Study !" # Syria


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+yria, or officially knon as the +yrian Ara& 3e#u&lic, is a country located in

southestern Asia and in the heart of the Middle 9ast) The +yrian Ara& 3e#u&lic is currently led

&y ;resident Bashar AlAssad) -n March of 2011, the Ara& +#rin! caused a (iolent dis#ute

&eteen the !o(ernment and the #eaceful #rotesters, #ro(okin! those ho o##osed the

!o(ernments$ ays to &e!in or!ani?in! re&ellion !rou#s a!ainst them) This escalated into a full

&lon ci(il ar, ith many different !rou#s contri&utin! to the com#lications of the conflict)

The use of children in these armed conflicts has de(elo#ed into a maor issueN des#ite se(eral

#romises to demo&ili?e the child soldiers, many !rou#s still utili?e them) ;arties ithin +yria

hich recruit and use children is e(ident on either side of the conflict, includin! !rou#s such as

the -slamic +tate of -ra@ and +yria .-+-+, the Free +yrian Army .F+A, the ;eo#le ;rotection

Units .Q;/, Jha&at Al8ursa .Ja8, and arakat Ahrar ash+ham al-slamiyya .+yrian Ara&

3e#u&lic) -n 2017 alone, it is estimated that o(er %6,000 +yrians ere killed due to the ci(il ar,

and of those deaths, 5,401 ere children, makin! u# a##ro'imately 7 of the casualties

./ladstone) -t is difficult to determine the e'act num&er of children hich ha(e &een

im#lemented as soldiers in conflicts in the #ast and the #resent, &ut it is knon that the

recruitment and utili?ation of child soldiers has &ecome common#lace in se(eral !rou#s residin!

in +yria)

The ;eo#le$s ;rotection Unit .Q;/ is a urdish armed !rou# that controls areas in the

north of +yria) -t as formed in 2007 durin! the amishli u#risin!, and has since !ron

si!nificantly after the &e!innin! of the +yrian ci(il ar) They are ali!ned ith the re&els in the

+yrian ci(il ar and stand a!ainst !rou#s such as -+-+ and the +yrian !o(ernment) ue to the

ithdraal of !o(ernment forces in 2012, the Q;/ has &een the leadin! !rou# and most

dominant force located in urdish areas) To assist in the fi!hts a!ainst -+-+, Al8ursa, and other

o##osin! !rou#s, the Q;/ recruited children under the a!e of ei!hteen) 3e!ardless of #re(enti(e

measures a!ainst the recruitment of children, there still as a num&er of minors documented

ithin the ranks of the Q;/) -t asn$t until June of 2017 that the Q;/ #ut forth a !reater effortto end the use of children in their forces) This resulted in the si!nin! of the eed of

Commitment, hich dis#layed their illin!ness to a&ide &y international la, such as

demo&ili?in! children utili?ed for armed conflict) As Q;/ e#uty /eneral Commander 3edur

Relil stated, *e ha(e decided to record all under1" com&atants in our ranks and to demo&ili?e

them) This ill &e done ithin a month .+yrian urdish Armed 8on+tate)


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es#ite the e#uty /enerals$ statement and the demo&ili?ation of 17: children .+yriaH

urdish Armed Forces, the continued use of children in Q;/$s ranks is still #re(alent, affectin!

the mental state of the children, and those directly in(ol(ed in the conflict !reatly) >ne year after

si!nin! the eed of Commitment, there ha(e se(eral re#orts of children &ein! recruited,

(oluntarily and in(oluntarily &y the !rou#) The uman 3i!hts atch has documented a list

hich includes 4: children hich ere recruited from 2017 to 2014 .+yriaH urdish Forces

Oiolatin!) The Q;/ later res#onded to these claims and assured that these ere isolated

instances due to recruiters and commanders diso&eyin! orders) oe(er, there is a se#arate

cate!ory hich the Q;/ has im#lemented ithin its ranks for noncom&atants) This cate!ory

allos any child a&o(e the a!e of si'teen to &e recruited &ut not take #art in military actions) -t is

unknon ho many children are currently in(ol(ed ithin this cate!ory, or the duties hich

these children must #erform, &ut it is knon that the im#lementation of these children in the

Q;/$s ranks is still considered ille!al accordin! to the >#tional ;rotocol to the Children$s 3i!hts

Con(ention on Children and Armed Conflict .>#tional ;rotocol)

>n the other side of the conflict, the -slamic +tate of -ra@ and +yria .-+-+ is a radical

military !rou# hich se#arated from alaeda in 2017 and relies hea(ily on their inter#retation

of the ur$an) They currently control a lar!e #ortion of +yria located in the middle of the

country, and they are led &y A&u Bakr alBa!hdadi) ue to the !rou#s$ location and threats

toards those ho o##ose them, it is difficult to !et e'act num&ers of their forces, &ut it is

estimated that -+-+ has a force of a##ro'imately 50,000 70,000 soldiers .-slamic +tate) As a

result of their diminishin! num&ers &ecause of their #artici#ation in conflicts such as the +yrian

ci(il ar, -+-+ has &e!un usin! child soldiers as a means to fill their ranks and carry out military

actions for the !rou#)

-n the #ast year, the num&er of children -+-+ has utili?ed for armed conflict has !ron &y

a sta!!erin! amount, and accordin! to a re#ort done &y /eor!ia +tate Uni(ersity researchers,

*>n a month&ymonth &asis, the rate of youn! #eo#le dyin! in suicide o#erations rose, from si'

in January 2014 to 11 in January 2016) .earden) This fi!ure has almost dou&led in such a

short amount of time, and from January 2014 to January 2016, ": children ha(e &een used in

-+-+$s #ro#a!anda (ideos .Bloom) These (ideos dis#lay the children &ein! tau!ht the ays of

the ur$an .or -+-+$s inter#retation of it anyays, ho to kill and not to fear death) These


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(ideos ere released &y the !rou# as a means to dis#lay their #oer and ho they ha(e &e!un

usin! children in armed conflict, ith some (ideos e(en dis#layin! children killin! men ith

!uns or usin! children as suicide &om&ers) +tate e#artment s#okes#erson John ir&y stated,

*>ri!inally, they ould rely on children for intelli!ence streams, !ettin! information ))) and then

usin! them to conduct suicide attacks, hich they still do < 8o e !et more re#orts a&out

them usin! children in actual en!a!ements side &y side ith adult fi!hters) .Ca#lan

Trainin! cam#s also #lay a (ital role in the use of children for conflict ithin -+-+$s

ranks) There ha(e &een at least three recorded child trainin! cam#s in 3a@@a alone, here

children ould learn ho to kill and fi!ht for -+-+ on the front lines) As ell, hundreds of &oys

ere taken #risoner in Ale##o, here they ere *forced to attend indoctrination seminars and

#romised salaries, mo&ile #hones, ea#ons, a martyr$s #lace in #aradise and the *!ift of a ife

u#on oinin! -+-=) .+yrian Ara& 3e#u&lic These trainin! cam#s ser(ed as an area for the

children to learn o&edience and loyalty toards their su#eriors, and they also &rainashed the

children into thinkin! that there as no alternati(e in life &ut the ays of the ur$an)

Children continue to &e recruited and used for conflict ithin the ranks of the re&el

!rou#s in +yria) oe(er, solutions #ro#osed &y !rou#s such as the Q;/ themsel(es ha(e come

to fruition in the #ast year) They #resented the &efore mentioned alternati(e noncom&atant

cate!ory for si'teen and se(enteenyearolds, hich remo(ed the children from the frontlines)

They also ha(e called u#on the assistance of the Asayish, hich is the urdish run #olice force

in(ol(ed in the internal re!ulations of the !rou#, to hel# cease the recruitment of children &y

commanders diso&eyin! orders .+yriaH urdish Forces Oiolatin!) -n a letter addressed to the

uman 3i!hts atch in 2014, the Q;/ noted that they had #unished se(en officers for alloin!

children to &e recruited into their ranks, three of hich ere e'#elled and the other four &ein!

demoted .=etter From Q;/) The Q;/ end the letter &y askin! for hel# from the *free orld to

su##ort them and *o(ercome these o&stacles &y assistin! in creatin! the #rinci#les of freedom

and democracy) The solutions hich the Q;/ ha(e im#lemented may ha(e aided in endin! the

use of child soldiers, &ut the #ractice ill continue into the future until a much more #ermanent

and sustaina&le solution if found)

The use of these children in armed conflict is distur&in! and in some cases, !roin! at an

un#recedented rate) The &est #ossi&le solution for this issue ould &e to demo&ili?e all children


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in(ol(ed in conflict immediately, &ut there is little chance of that ha##enin! in the foreseea&le

future) -+-+$s use of children in armed conflict has increased ra#idly in the #ast year, and ithout

e'act fi!ures, it is unknon ho many continue to &e im#lemented in their conflicts #resently)

+olutions #ro#osed to a&olish the use of child soldiers &y -+-+ are s#arse as the !rou#s intentions

do not coincide ith the intentions of those hich o##ose the use of children in armed conflict)

8e(ertheless, Charlie inter, a researcher of -+-+ #ro#a!anda at /eor!ia +tate Uni(ersity,

su!!ests,

There is no ay that e can en(isa!e a #ost-+ orld, unless e can really think

carefully a&out ho e are !oin! to demo&ilise, disarm and reinte!rate these children

into normal life) There arenPt really any !ood #recedents for a (iolent e'tremist

or!anisation like -+ indoctrinatin! children on such a ide scale) .=on!man

Child soldiers are a #re(alent issue and some may think it is one hich only needs to &e sol(ed

&y demo&ili?in! them) But hat they don$t reali?e is that children in(ol(ed in armed conflicts

ha(e also &een affected mentally, and it is im#ortant to note that ithout #ro#er treatment and

reha&ilitation, the children ill ne(er ha(e another life &ut one hich in(ol(es them as a soldier)

Case Study !$ # South Sudan


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The 3e#u&lic of +outh +udan is a country located in northeastern Africa and !ained its

inde#endence from +udan in 2011) +outh +udan is currently led &y ;resident +al(a iir

Mayardit) The +udan ;eo#le$s =i&eration Mo(ementSArmy is the #arty hich hel#ed the country

!ain its inde#endence, &ut in late 2015, #olitical infi!htin! and corru#tion caused &y the (ice

#resident attem#t of o(erthroin! the !o(ernment has caused fi!htin! &eteen the sides loyal to

se#arate o##osin! #arties) +ince then, fi!htin! has increased due to the o(erthro and se(eral

other reasons #ertainin! to ine@uality, and the conflict &ecame more &rutal, ith hundreds of

thousands of ci(ilians &ecomin! dis#laced and a&out %0 #ercent of schools &ein! closed

.Mont!omery) ith the nation in #o(erty and no food or education for the children, many

@uickly &ecame in(ol(ed in the conflict as soldiers) The to main #arties hich recruit children

are the +udan ;eo#le$s =i&eration Army .+;=A and the +udan ;eo#le$s =i&eration Army -n

>##osition .+;=A->) As ell, the =ord$s 3esistance Army .=3A led &y Jose#h ony also

o#erates in a lar!e area of +outh +udan, &ut their force has diminished in #oer in the #ast fe

years and they remain to &e unheard from, e'cludin! se(eral cases of children &ein! li&erated

from their ranks) U8-C9F estimated in 2017 that around :,000 children ere recruited as child

soldiers .+outh +udan Child +oldiers, &ut a more recent re#ort &y them states that 1714,000

children ha(e &een in(ol(ed on either side of the conflict as soldiers .heeler) Child soldiers

aren$t unheard of in +outh +udan, as they ha(e &een im#lemented for conflict from se(eral

earlier conflicts datin! &ack to 1:"5N this #ractice of usin! child soldiers in(ol(ed many re&el

!rou#s, includin! the +;=A)

The +udan ;eo#le$s =i&eration Army .+;=A is the official army of +outh +udan and has

hundreds of thousands of soldiers s#lit u# into different sections from ithin) -n 2002, the U8

released a list of !rou#s hich utili?e and de#loy children as soldiers ithin their ranks and

asked the !rou#s to im#lement #ro#er solutions to demo&ili?in! all children from conflict) The

+;=A as included on that list and com#lied ith the U8 as they had #re(iously &een de#loyin!

a fe thousand children for armed conflict) They trained child #rotection officers and militaryofficers to assist in #re(entin! children from &ecomin! recruited for conflict) By ecem&er of

2015, the +;=A had demo&ili?ed :44 children from its ranks and refused the recruitment of 740

children) -t as estimated that around 400 children ere still ser(in! in the +;=A hen the

current conflict &e!an .hy +outh +udan$s) The ci(il ar &roke out, and many children ere

affected !reatly) undreds of thousands of ci(ilians ere dis#laced and they lost access to food,


24/44


ater and education) This resulted in children &ein! recruited forci&ly and (oluntarily &y armed

!rou#s) -n 2017, there ere re#orts of 61% children &ein! recruited, here the maority, 510

children, ere recruited &y the +;=A hile 10" children ere recruited &y the +;=A-> .+outh

+udan) Also in 2017, the !o(ernment of +outh +udan si!ned a #eace a!reement ith the +;=A,

hich &rou!ht li!ht to the massi(e use of child soldiers &y the !rou# to the !o(ernment) This

ended u# ith the !rou# releasin! 1,%44 soldiers from their ranks) Currently, the +;=A continues

to a!e ar a!ainst the o##osition, and althou!h it is unknon ho many children are still

utili?ed &y the +;=A, it is knon that they continue their use of child soldiers)

The +udan ;eo#le$s =i&eration Army -n >##osition .+;=A-> is a #arty hich

se#arated from the +;=A after the !o(ernment incident in 2015) They are led &y former Oice

;resident 3iek Machar and they are currently one of the main o##ositions to the +;=A in the

conflict of +outh +udan) Bein! a fairly ne !rou# in a youn! country, the +;=A-> doesn$t ha(e

much information on their military, &ut accordin! to se(eral re#orts, includin! ones from

U8-C9F and the U8, they do utili?e children in their ranks) U#on hearin! the accusations that

they recruit children, the +;=A-> dismissed the alle!ations) The s#okes#erson for the +;=A->

took to the #ress and stated,

+ince ecem&er 14, 2015 hen the ar &roke out in Ju&a, +outh +udan !o(ernment had

lost %4 of its national army to re&ellion in Jon!lei, Unity and U##er 8ile also &ecame furious a&out ere from a 64 #a!e re#ort titled We

Can "ie oo and it as released &y the uman 3i!hts atch in late 2014) -ncluded in the re#ort

are inter(ies ith 101 former child soldiers, and they state the atrocities !rou#s such as the

+;=A-> and the +;=A ha(e committed a!ainst children) These atrocities in(ol(e usin! children

as soldiers, se' sla(es and &ody!uardsSser(ants .heeler)

To end the use of child soldiers &y !rou#s in +outh +udan ould certainly come from the

end of the conflict, &ut ith the ci(il ar &ecomin! much lar!er and deadlier, only a fe

solutions ha(e a##eared to hel# demo&ili?e as many children from conflicts as #ossi&le) The

+;=A and the +;=A-> ha(e already made ste#s to #re(entin! the recruitment of children, &ut as

the conflict orsens, these im#lementations &e!in to ha(e a a(erin! effect) Before the conflict


25/44


&e!an, +outh +udan trained 1,000 child #rotection officers and 55,000 military officers hich

hel#ed #re(ent children &ecomin! recruited) As ell, the commanders ere ordered to follo the

#rocess and not #re(ent child recruitment or face sanction .hy +outh +udan$s) The U8 ha(e

launched the cam#ai!n Children, $ot Soldiers as a means to #re(ent child soldiers &ein! utili?ed

in conflicts) This cam#ai!n as used as a means to #ro(ide education to children, raise

aareness of the issue, and assist in releasin! children in(ol(ed in armed conflict from !rou#s)

As a result of these im#lementations, the U8 recei(ed re#orts of %7 &oys #re(ented from &ein!

recruited to the +;=A-> .The Crisis in +outh +udan) ith the situation orsenin! in +outh

+udan, it$s difficult to end the utili?ation of children for armed conflict, &ut ith the assistance of

+outh +udanese !rou#s, no matter their affiliation ith one another, and outside or!ani?ations, it

has &een made #ossi&le to demo&ili?e children from their ranks hilst #re(entin! more children

from &ein! recruited as soldiers)

Case Study !% # Myanmar


26/44


Myanmar, or also knon as Burma, is a country located in southeastern Asia) Myanmar is

currently led &y ;resident tin ya) For the #ast decade, the recruitment of children under the

a!e of ei!hteen has &een #re(alent in se(eral !rou#s located in Myanmar, includin! !o(ernment

forces themsel(es) The !rou#s hich commit this act include the emocratic aren Bene(olent

Army G Bri!ade 4 .BA4, achin -nde#endence Army .-A, the aren 8ational =i&eration

Army .8US8=A, the aren 8ational =i&eration Army ;eace Council, the arenni Army

.8;;SA, the +han +tate Army +outh .++A+, the United a +tate Army .U+A, and the

Tatmada, hich are the official !o(ernment forces) ue to on!oin! conflicts o(er the #ast si'

decades and the e'treme #o(erty the country faces, children ha(e &een dran into the &attles,

(oluntarily and forci&ly recruited to &e utili?ed for armed conflict) -n 2002, it as estimated that

there ere as many as %0,000 children in(ol(ed in armed conflict in Myanmar .BurmaH orld$s

i!hest) +ince then, the Burmese army has !ron si!nificantly and the #ractice of recruitin!

children is still a##arent) oe(er, the num&er of children recorded in the ranks of military

!rou#s has diminished and the children hich are acce#ted into the !rou#s are ones hich

acti(ely seek out recruitment) 8onetheless, the re!ional director of U8-C9F, aniel Toole, stated

his concern that *the num&ers Dof undera!e soldiersE are not lar!e &ut it$s still im#ortant) 8o

child should &e recruited) .U8-C9FH Child +oldier)

The Tatmada is the official army of Myanmar, one only for (olunteers, &ut still ith

o(er 700,000 soldiers, makin! it one of the lar!est forces ith acti(e troo#s in the orld)

Unfortunately, Myanmar is also considered one of the #oorest and most underde(elo#ed

countries in the orld &y the U8 .=east e(elo#ed Countries, hich means the Tatmada is a

(ia&le o#tion for many citi?ens to esca#e their #o(erty) This holds true for children under the a!e

of ei!hteen as ell, ith an incenti(e such as food and money for those ho oin and fi!ht) 9(en

thou!h the Tatmada ha(e had #olicies a!ainst the recruitment of children for years, they

continue the #ractice as it hel#s re#lace the hi!h desertion rates they face) Accounta&ility issues

also #lay a lar!e role in the recruitment of children in the Tatmada, ith e'cuses such asim#ro#er (erification of a!e) -n the year of 2017, there ere 54% cases of child recruitment, ith

2% of them &ein! as youn! as 17 years old .Myanmar) -n June of 2012, the !o(ernment of

Myanmar met ith the U8 and si!ned a Joint Action ;lan here they committed to demo&ili?in!

all children from armed conflict) This #lan has assisted in the demo&ili?ation of se(eral child

soldiers, &ut the #ractice has continued in the years folloin! the si!nin!)


27/44


The aren 8ational =i&eration Army .8=A is the armed military force hich mer!ed

ith the aren 8ational Union .8U in 2012, hich is a #olitical or!ani?ation in Myanmar)

The 8=A are a small military force ith around %,000 soldiers, and they are led &y +a Johnny

and the 8U) -n 2005, the 8=A as #laced on the U8$s atch list of countries hich recruit

and use children in armed conflict .Myanmar atchlist) +ince then, they ha(e continued to &e

included on the list for their #ractice of recruitin! and utili?in! child soldiers) -n 200%, Bah +oh

/ay, a 8=A commander, stated that children under the a!e of ei!hteen ere free to oin their

army and could lea(e if they ish, &ut accordin! to se(eral re#orts from child soldiers used &y

the 8=A, they ere coerced into oinin! and #unished if they talked a&out lea(in! .Child

+oldiers 3ecruited)

The emocratic aren Buddhist Army .BA is a re&el military !rou# hich o##oses

the 8U and the 8=A) -n 1::7, after the 8U ould not !rant the construction of Buddhist

#a!odas, U Thu?ana, the leader of the BA, tried to con(ince 8=A soldiers to desert their

!rou#) This led to the BA s#littin! from the 8U, and the BA has &een a maor fi!htin!

o##osition a!ainst the 8=A and the 8U e(er since) The BA &e!an to conscri#t soldiers

from (illa!es to meet the demand of soldiers they needed &ut didn$t care a&out the a!e of the

soldiers hich the (illa!es sent) A unior BA officer told uman 3i!hts atch that, *;eo#le

ha(e to take turns sendin! a recruit, so some #arents send &oys under 1") They need to fulfill this

o&li!ation) -f they don$t fulfill it, the BA can make lots of trou&le for them hich is a #olitical !rou# in northern Myanmar) The leader

of the -A is currently a Too) The -A as #laced on the U8 atch list of countries hich

recruit children in 200%, and has &een a mem&er of that list since then) Althou!h they deny the

recruitment of children, there has &een re#orts datin! &ack to the 1:60$s, and still to this day,


28/44


there are re#orts of recruitment of children under the a!e of ei!hteen) A -> s#okes#erson

stated, *e already decided on the a!e limitation for the #ro!ram and e ill not allo those

under 1" years old to ser(e) .A an!erous 3efu!e) This statement conflicts ith Child +oldiers

-nternational, as they inter(ieed children hich ere recruited &y the -A on si' se#arate

occasions) There has &een no e(idence of the children &ein! utili?ed for front line action as of

yet, &ut they continue to &e recruited &y the -A for se#arate unknon ser(ices) The -A has

stated they ill com#ly ith international la and end the #ractice of recruitin! children, &ut no

action has &een taken as of yet to #re(ent the issue)

ith se(eral !rou#s usin! children for armed conflict, drastic measures must &e taken to

a&olish the #ractice, &ut fortunately, a cou#le solutions ha(e &een #ro(ided recently) -n 2012, the

U8 and the Tatmada came to!ether and si!ned a Joint Action ;lan, hich is here the

Tatmada commits itself to demo&ili?in! all children in(ol(ed in their military !rou#) -n 2017

alone, the Tatmada demo&ili?ed a total of 5": children .Myanmar) The Tatmada also

stren!thened their recruitment #rocedures in 2015, hich #re(ents children from &ein! recruited

e(en ithout #ro#er (erification of a!e) For the other !rou#s, there ha(en$t &een any solutions

#ut in #lace other than them denyin! their use of child soldiers) This issue is also in #art the

!o(ernments fault as they ha(e limited the access of the country to certain indi(iduals that try to

determine the amount of children &ein! im#lemented for conflict)

&nternational 'rgani(ations


29/44


-nternational or!ani?ations #lay an inte!ral role ithin the issue of child soldiers, ran!in!

from raisin! aareness to the situation, all the ay to #ro(idin! aid and solutions in forei!n

countries) These or!ani?ations #ro(ide indirect and direct relief in the countries hich are most

hea(ily affected) ithout the on!oin! su##ort and cam#ai!nin! of these international

or!ani?ations, the atrocities committed &y many !rou#s ould continue, and the (iolations on

children im#lemented for conflict ould see no ustice) The im#ortance of these international

or!ani?ations is (ital to the demo&ili?ation and reinte!ration of child soldiers, and ith their

#ersistent efforts, the utili?ation of children for armed conflict has a #ossi&ility to come to an

end)

Child +oldiers -nternational is an international non!o(ernmental or!ani?ation hich

ad(ocates for the demo&ili?ation of any soldier #artici#atin! in military recruitment or armed

hostilities under the a!e of ei!hteen) Formerly knon as the Coalition to +to# the use of Child

+oldiers, Child +oldiers -nternational as formed in 1::" in coalition ith se(eral other

or!ani?ations such as Amnesty -nternational and the uman 3i!hts atch, alon! ith se(eral

others) Child +oldiers -nternational also assisted !reatly in the formation of the treaty knon as

the >#tional ;rotocol on the -n(ol(ement of Children in Armed conflict, and they #lay *A key

role in ensurin! im#lementation at e(ery le(el is #layed &y non!o(ernmental institutions and,

e(en more crucially, &y the in(ol(ement of children themsel(es) .10thAnni(ersary As

ell, alon! ith U8-C9F in 2005, Child +oldiers -nternational #u&lished the /uide to the

>#tion ;rotocol on the -n(ol(ement of Children in Armed Conflict, hich ser(es as a means to

assist other or!ani?ations on the im#lementation and u#holdin! of the treaty) Finally, the

or!ani?ation #u&lishes a !lo&al re#ort e(ery four years to document the current condition of child

soldiers) The most recent re#ort as released in 2012 under the titleLouder than Words) The

re#ort summari?es the #ast four years and the ste#s taken to a&olish the use of children for armed

conflict) Accordin! to the Child +oldiers -nternational, *3esearch for the re#ort shos that child

soldiers ha(e &een used in armed conflicts &y 20 states since 2010, and that children are at risk ofmilitary use in many more) .=ouder Than ords

ar Child -nternational is a oint non!o(ernmental or!ani?ation of ar Child U, ar

Child olland and ar Child Canada) 9(en thou!h each is an inde#endent or!ani?ation, they all

colla&orate under one (ision, hich is ar Child -nternational) They ad(ocate for the end of use


30/44


of child soldiers orldide and ho#e to reinte!rate the children affected &ack into society)

Fundraisin! e(ents also #lay a lar!e role as it allos ar Child to raise money to fund their

#ro!rams, such as &uildin! reha&ilitation centers in forei!n countries, &uildin! schools for those

affected, and their TO documentaries hich hel# raise aareness for the issue) ith the

continued su##ort and ad(ocacy of the or!ani?ation, *ar Child is a&le to increase the num&er of

children &enefittin! from our #roects in 11 conflictaffected areas, reachin! 5)4 million #eo#le,

of hom 1)" million are children and youn! #eo#le) .istory of ar Child) ar Child has also

recei(ed numerous aards for their ork, such as the Trans#arency Aard in 2006, 200% and

2010, the Freedom from Fear Aard in 200", and the Carne!ie ateler ;eace ;ri?e in 2012

.istory of ar Child) The success of ar Child -nternational is a##arent, and the on!oin!

efforts made &y the or!ani?ation has made it (ery successful in the demo&ili?ation of children

affected &y armed conflict orldide)

The United 8ations Children$s 9mer!ency Fund .U8-C9F is an inter!o(ernmental

or!ani?ation hich focuses on #ro(idin! a &etter ay of life for children all across the !lo&e)

The or!ani?ation formed in 1:76 and has &een a maor #layer in the #rotection of children and

the ad(ocacy of child soldiers around the orld e(er since) They released the >#tional ;rotocol

on the -n(ol(ement of Children in Armed Conflict in 2005 and ha(e cam#ai!ned from the

&e!innin! a&out the a!e limit, statin!, the a!e limit of 1" years should not only a##ly to

#artici#ation in hostilities &ut also to all forms of recruitment) ./uide to the >#tional) From

1::" to 2001, U8-C9F as the lead a!ency for child #rotection in +ierra =eone and they hel#ed

de(elo# #ro!rams hich su##orted !irls$ education and family unification ./uide to the

>#tional) U8-C9F has also instituted se(eral reinte!ration #ro!rams for children in countries

affected &y armed conflict and ha(e &een (ery successful in demo&ili?in! child soldiers) -n 2007,

almost 7,000 children ere demo&ili?ed in 14 #ro(inces across Af!hanistan as a result of

U8-C9F$s efforts) +#okes#erson 9dard Carardin said, *The success of the child soldier

#ro!ramme to date is a maor achie(ement and it is a (ery #ositi(e si!n that youn! #eo#le in thiscountry really ant to make a #ositi(e contri&ution to the future of their communities)

.U8-C9F el#s) ;resently, U8-C9F continues to #ro(ide re#orts of children hich are utili?ed

for armed conflict, and they u#hold their #latform of endin! the use of Child +oldiers orldide)

They still #ro(ide reha&ilitation in countries affected the most &y this issue and ho#e that the use

of child soldiers ill see an end in the near future)


31/44


Canadian Connection


32/44


The use of children in armed conflict is considered a !lo&al issue, hich means its effects

are felt on the international scale) ith many countries ste##in! u# to #ro(ide su##ort and

solutions to the issue, Canada is one of the leadin! su##orters) They ha(e #ro#osed lastin!

solutions to the #ro&lem and continue to raise aareness hilst #ro(idin! aid in many forms)

Their im#act on the use of child soldiers has &een lar!e and has #layed an inte!ral #art in

demo&ili?in! and reha&ilitatin! children affected &y armed conflict)

Canada$s efforts can &e dated as far &ack as 2000 hen they hosted the -nternational

Conference on ar Affected Children in inni#e!) At this conference, they addressed the risin!

issue hich as the use of children in armed conflict) They also #layed a role in the creation and

inte!ration of the >#tional ;rotocol on the -n(ol(ement of Children in Armed Conflict) Canada

has also contri&uted o(er 1)5 million to se(eral #roects associated ith children and armed

conflict since 2006 .Children and Armed Conflict)

Canada also houses one of the lar!est non!o(ernmental or!ani?ations hich cam#ai!ns

for children$s ri!hts and the end of the use of child soldiers orldide) ar Child Canada as

founded in 8orth America &y +amantha 8utt and 9ric oskins in 1:::) ar Child Canada has

orked in -ra@, Af!hanistan and on the ThaiBurmese &order as they orked toards

demo&ili?in! children from military !rou#s) ar Child Canada$s locally focused a##roach

currently reaches o(er 240,000 #eo#le in ei!ht countries .istory of ar Child) They also ha(e

se(eral fundraisin! cam#ai!ns hich hel# fund their numerous #ro!rams that assist in the

reha&ilitation and reinte!ration of children affected &y armed conflict) These #ro!rams are the

Alicia eys *e Are ere Cam#ai!n, the Art of the /uitar, the Body +ho# oliday Cam#ai!n,

and the *3eclaim Childhood 9(ent .Annual 3e#ort 2014)

Althou!h Canada has &een orkin! toards the demo&ili?ation of child soldiers in

countries affected &y the issue, they don$t ha(e a #erfectly clean record hen it comes to the

#ro#er ustice of children utili?ed for armed conflicts, such as the case of former child soldier,

>mar hadr) They detained >mar for a num&er of years due to his actions toards an American

soldier hen he as still a child soldier himself) -n 2002, after &ecomin! in(ol(ed in a firefi!ht

in Af!hanistan hich ended ith a dead American +oldier, fifteen year old >mar as &rou!ht to

America and s#ent ten years in /uantanamo Bay) e then #lead !uilty in 2010 and as


33/44


transferred to a Canadian #rison in 2012 to ser(e the remainder of his sentence) U8-C9F$s

9'ecuti(e irector, Anthony =ake, in res#onse to >mar hadr &ein! detained, stated,

The recruitment and use of children in hostilities is a ar crime, and those ho are

res#onsi&le G the adult recruiters G should &e #rosecuted) The children in(ol(ed are(ictims, actin! under coercion) .+tatement &y U8-C9F

hen asked ho ;rime Minister +te#hen ar#er felt a&out >mar$s #redicament, he stated *Mr)

hadr, as e all kno, #lead !uilty to (ery !ra(e crimes, includin! murdermar

hadr as asked ho he felt a&out ;rime Minister +te#hen ar#er$s o#inion, he res#onded ith

*-$m &etter than the #erson he thinks - am) .Mackrael) Canada may not ha(e &een the ones to

arrest and #rosecute >mar hadr, &ut they certainly did #lay a role in detainin! him)

Canada continues to #ro(ide su##ort a!ainst !rou#s usin! children for armed conflict,

and throu!h the ad(ocacy for their #ro!rammin! efforts, they ho#e to #ro(ide as much assistance

as #ossi&le in the future) +ome key areas of maor focus for Canada$s #ro!rammin! and

ad(ocacy efforts !oin! forard into the future areH

Strengthening the Monitoring and Reporting MechanismG teams ill #ro(ide data

hich ill hel# raise international attention to the issue and make #arties hich commit

the (iolations accounta&le for their actions

)ccountability of parties *ho commit grae iolations against children in situations

of conflictG follou# on data collected as soon as #ossi&le to &rin! those ho commit

the (iolations to ustice

Supporting efforts to expand the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism to

encompass all grae iolationsG e'#and the monitorin! and re#ortin! mechanisms as a

means to encom#ass all !ra(e (iolations .Children and Armed Conflict

ith a stron! action #lan for the future in #lace, and a focus on endin! the use of child soldiers,Canada u#holds their status of a leadin! country hich ad(ocates for the ri!hts of children and

the demo&ili?ation of children utili?ed for armed conflict) *Canada is committed to endin! the

use of !irls and &oys in hostilities and to hel#in! ensure that children affected &y armed conflict

around the orld are #rotected) .Children and Armed Conflict


34/44


Solutions

The use of children in armed conflict is a reoccurrin! !lo&al issue hich currently enlists

u# to 240,000 children .FAs) ith so many #eo#le &ein! affected directly and indirectly &y

this issue, many ould think it ould &e considered a to# #riority to #ut an end to) There ha(e&een many #ro#osed solutions hich ha(e &een im#lemented ith some success, &ut ithout a

massi(e #ush &y the !lo&al community and su##ort of the solutions on an international scale, the

#ractice of usin! child soldiers on$t &e sto##ed in the foreseea&le future)

Accordin! to a re#ort done &y U8-C9F in 2002, the three key factors to sol(in! the issue

of child soldiers are ;re(ention, emo&ili?ation, and 3einte!ration .Child +oldiersH ;re(ention)

They &elie(e that the heart of the issue is the recruitment of children, so to end the #ractice, it

should &e!in at the recruitment sta!e) Takin! aay any chance of a child &ein! recruited &y amilitary !rou# could #ro(ide the child a means to dod!e &ecomin! in(ol(ed in armed conflict

alto!ether) emo&ili?in! children already in(ol(ed in armed conflict is the ne't ste# if the use of

#re(ention didn$t succeed) To release children &ein! utili?ed for armed conflict is a re@uest many

or!ani?ations ha(e for armed !rou#s hich use child soldiers) -n some cases, if the !rou#s refuse

to com#ly, they are #laced on lists hich re(eal them for these (iolations) The Child +oldier

;re(ention Act .C+;A is a la #assed in 200" hich states that any !rou# hich doesn$t

demo&ili?e the children ithin their ranks ill &e #laced on a list) As ell, *=isted countries are

su&ect to restrictions on security assistance for military trainin! and e@ui#ment) .o?ak

hen the children are released, the final ste#, hich is 3einte!ration, is critical as it

allos the child to return to society ithout the lin!erin! mental effects of conflict) U8-C9F

states *3einte!ration of child soldiers should em#hasi?e three com#onentsH family reunification,

#sychosocial su##ort and education, and economic o##ortunity) .Child +oldiersH ;re(ention)

These three com#onents are im#ortant as they ha(e #ro(ed in the #ast to #ro(ide some of the

&est results of reinte!ration into society) -t is said that stayin! ith family is hat$s &est for the

child as it allos them to feel safer and more familiar ith their surroundin!s) The #sych of the

child also #lays an im#ortant role as !oin! throu!h maor traumas do tend to affect the mental

state of any (ictim) 9ducation and economic acti(ity are the last #art of the reinte!ration #rocess

as they allo the child to fully immerse themsel(es &ack into society) Unfortunately, there are

many o&stacles a child faces hen it comes to education) These include ha(in! to earn an income


35/44


to #ro(ide for their families instead, lack of money to #ay for school fees or su##lies, schools

&ein! destroyed, lack of teachers, children are too old to oin ith youn!er children, and the

feelin! of shame or resentment due to ha(in! to learn ith much youn!er children .Child

+oldiersH ;re(ention)

There are also se(eral solutions or!ani?ations and !o(ernments ha(e created to hel# end

the use of child soldiers, such asH or!ani?ations ad(ocatin! to end the use of child soldiers like

ar Child, U8-C9F, and Child +oldiers -nternationalN many las #ut in #lace to #re(ent the use

of child soldiers like the >#tional ;rotocol on the -n(ol(ement of Children in Armed Conflict,

the 200% ;aris ;rinci#les, and the Child +oldiers ;re(ention Act) Althou!h the use of children in

armed conflict continues, more is &ein! done no than e(er &efore to sto# the (iolations the

!rou#s utili?in! child soldiers are committin!)

Another key role in endin! the #ractice of usin! children for armed conflict is

accounta&ility) To &rin! those committin! the (iolations and &rin! them to ustice not only forces

the commanders and recruiters to take res#onsi&ility for their actions &ut also con(inces other

!rou#s to not &e!in usin! children in the first #lace) -n 200%, the United +tates #assed The Child

+oldiers Accounta&ility Act) This la *ena&leDsE the U+ to #rosecute military commanders ho

recruit or use child soldiers under the a!e of 14, hether committed here or a&road &y either U+

citi?ens or nonciti?ens #resent in the United +tates) .-n +u##ort) This la is a ste# forard in

the #re(ention of child soldiers as it holds all !rou#s accounta&le for their actions) oe(er,

&ein! held accounta&le is one thin!, anserin! for your crimes is another) An e'am#le of this is

Jose#h ony utili?in! children for com&at for many years, &ut then !oin! into hidin! and

continuin! the #ractice)

The issue of children &ein! utili?ed for armed conflict is a com#licated one, as there are

many different sides to it) But one thin! for certain is the #ractice (iolates se(eral international

las and has ne!ati(e effects on many #eo#le) Therefore, the use of child soldiers shouldn$t

continue into the future, &ut unfortunately, it a##ears the #ractice ill last as lon! as no

#ermanent solutions are #ut in #lace) As of this #oint, no lastin! solutions ha(e &een

im#lemented, hether it$s due to the difficulty to create lastin! fi'es to the #ro&lems in times of

armed conflict, or &ecause some !o(ernments and international or!ani?ations are unillin! to

#ro(ide their concentrated su##ort to findin! an indefinite solution) -t may &e ithout a lack of


36/44


tryin!, &ut ithout any solutions in #lace, the use of children in armed conflict remains an issue

on the international scale)


37/44


)PPE+,&CES

A##endi' -

a!ener, +te(e) VChildren on the Front =ineH 8early 500,000 Used in ar ones Today)V

(dyssey (nline) >dyssey, 2" A#r) 2014) e&) 6 Mar) 2016)


38/44


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3F93=, 51 Mar) 2014) e&) : Mar) 2016)

V;o(erty K 9@uity)V he World Ban/) The orld Bank /rou#, n)d) e&) 10 Mar) 2016)

V3oot Causes of Child 3ecruitment)V )nited $ations (##ice o# the Special *epresentative o# the

Secretary+General #or Children and Ar!ed Con#lict) 8)#), n)d) e&) : Mar) 2016)

V+outh +udan ;o#ulation)V Worldo!eters) orldometers, n)d) e&) 10 Mar) 2016)


41/44


Vhy +outh +udanPs Children Are Fi!htin! A!ain)V Child Soldiers International) Child +oldiers

-nternational, 12 Fe&) 2014) e&) 10 Mar) 2016)

C)SE ST0,3 !" S3R&)

Bloom, Mia, John or!an, and Charlie inter) Ve#ictions of Children and Qouth in the -slamic

+tatePs Martyrdom ;ro#a!anda)V Co!bating erroris! Center at West Point) Com&atin!

Terrorism Center at est ;oint, 1" Fe&) 2016) e&) 24 Mar) 2016)

Ca#lan, Michael) V-+-+ ;ushes Child +oldiers To The Front =ines Amid a(e >f -slamic +tate

efections)VIBi!es) -BTimes, 14 Mar) 2016) e&) 26 Mar) 2016)

earden, =i??ie) V-sis -s Usin! Far More Child +oldiers than the orld 3ealised)V he

Independent) -nde#endent i!ital 8es and Media, 1: Fe&) 2016) e&) 24 Mar) 2016)

/ladstone, 3ick, and Mohammad /hannam) V+yria eaths it 8e i!h in 2017, >&ser(er

/rou# +ays)V he $e% 2or/ i!es) The 8e Qork Times, 01 Jan) 2014) e&) 27 Mar)

2016)

V-slamic +tate of -ra@ and the =e(ant)V Wi/ipedia) iki#edia, 2016) e&) 24 Mar) 2016)

V=etter from Q;/ in 3es#onse to uman 3i!hts atch)Vu!an *ights Watch) uman 3i!hts

atch, 25 July 2014) e&) 26 Mar) 2016)

=on!man, James) V-+ -ncreases Use of Child +oldiers, +ays U+ 3e#ort)V BBC $e%s) BBC 8es,1: Fe&) 2016) e&) 26 Mar) 2016)

V>#tional ;rotocol to the Con(ention on the 3i!hts of the Child on the -n(ol(ement of Children

in Armed Conflict)V )nited $ations u!an *ights (##ice o# the igh Co!!isioner)

United 8ations, 12 Jan) 2002) e&) 24 Mar) 2016)

*+yriaH urdish Armed Forces emo&ili?e 17: Child +oldiers)V Geneva Call) /ene(a Call, %

July 2017) e&) 27 Mar) 2016)

V+yriaH urdish Forces Oiolatin! Child +oldier Ban)Vu!an *ights Watch) uman 3i!hts

atch, 14 July 2014) e&) 27 Mar) 2016)

V+yrian Ara& 3e#u&lic)V )nited $ations (##ice o# the Special *epresentative o# the Secretary

General #or Children and Ar!ed Con#lict) U8, n)d) e&) 27 Mar) 2016)


42/44


V+yrian urdish Armed 8on+tate Actor Commits to Ban Anti#ersonnel Mines, +e'ual

Oiolence and Child 3ecruitment)V Geneva Call) /ene(a Call, 16 June 2017) e&) 27

Mar) 2016)

C)SE ST0,3 !$ S'0T4 S0,)+

Mont!omery, elly) Vuick FactsH hat Qou 8eed to no a&out the +outh +udan Crisis)V

3ercy Corps) Mercy Cor#s, 0: Mar) 2016) e&) 2% Mar) 2016)

V+outh +udan Child +oldiers)V )$IC-) U8-C9F, 12 May 2017) e&) 2% Mar) 2016)

V+outh +udan)V )nited $ations (##ice o# the Special *epresentative o# the Secretary+General #or

Children and Ar!ed Con#lict) United 8ations >ffice of the +#ecial 3e#resentati(e of the

+ecretary/eneral for Children and Armed Conflict, 4 June 2014) e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

Tekle, TesfaAlem) V+;=M-> ismisses 3$s 3e#ort on Child +oldier$s 3ecruitment)V

Sudan ribune) +udan Tri&une, 17 ec) 2014) e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

VThe Crisis in +outh +udan)V3onitoring and *eporting 3echanis!.n)d)H n) #a!) )$IC-)

U8-C9F, 22 >ct) 2014) e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

heeler, +kye) Ve Can ie Too)Vu!an *ights Watch) uman 3i!hts atch, 17 ec) 2014)

e&) 2% Mar) 2016)

*hy +outh +udan$s Children Are Fi!htin! A!ain)V Child Soldiers International) Child +oldiers

-nternational, 12 Fe&) 2014) e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

C)SE ST0,3 !% M3)+M)R

VBurmaH orldPs i!hest 8um&er of Child +oldiers)Vu!an *ights Watch) uman 3i!hts

atch, 16 >ct) 2002) e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

VChild +oldiers 3ecruited to +u##ort 9'#ansion of the 8U8=A ;eace Council)V4aren

u!an *ights Group) aren uman 3i!hts /rou#, 2" May 200%) e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

VA an!erous 3efu!eH >n!oin! Child 3ecruitment &y the achin -nde#endence Army)V ChildSoldiers International) Child +oldiers -nternational, July 2014) e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

e##ner, e(in, and a(id Mathieson) Sold to Be Soldiers& he *ecruit!ent and )se o# Child

Soldiers in Bur!a) 8e Qork, 8QH uman 3i!hts atch, 200%) ;rint)


43/44


V=east e(elo#ed CountriesH U8 Classification)V he World Ban/) The orld Bank /rou#, n)d)

e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

VMyanmar)V )nited $ations (##ice o# the Special *epresentative o# the Secretary+General #or

Children and Ar!ed Con#lict) United 8ations >ffice of the +#ecial 3e#resentati(e of the+ecretary/eneral for Children and Armed Conflict, 4 June 2014) e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

VMyanmar atchlist)V Watchlist) atchlist, n)d) e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

VU8-C9FH Child +oldier 3ecruitment in Myanmar +till a ;ro&lem)V S(S Children5s 6illages)

+>+ ChildrenPs Oilla!es, 6 >ct) 2010) e&) 2" Mar) 2016)

&+TER+)T&'+)L 'R/+)&5)T&'+S

V/uide to the >#tional ;rotocol on the -n(ol(ement of Children in Armed Conflict)V

C(ALII($ ( S(P - )S- ( CIL" S(L"I-*S.2005H n) #a!) )$IC-)

U8-C9F, ec) 2005) e&) 1 A#r) 2016)

Vistory of ar

Documents

The Use of Children in Armed Conflict