Child Soldiers and Children Affected by War FAQ’s

 Who Counts as a Child?

Children are often among one of the first populations to be affected in times of conflict, and because of this, are given special protection under international law, as well as retaining their general protection, due to their special vulnerabilities. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), under international law, defines a child as “every human being below the age of eighteen years unless, under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier” (Article 1, Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989).

The Rights of Children in times of Conflict (International Humanitarian Law)

The Right to Education: Children have the right to receive education. (Fourth Geneva Convention, articles 50 and 94)

The Right to the Protection from Combat:  Children recruited under the age of 15 into armed forces is prohibited. (1977 Additional Protocols of the Geneva Conventions) Children who take part in conflicts are still entitled to special protection.

Six Steps of Connectivity

If it is assumed that you are one step away from every person you know and two steps from each person they know, then according to popular theory, you then are no more than six steps from every single person on earth, including children affected by war.

Who is a Child Soldier?

The UN Nations (UN) legal definition of child soldiers is:

“any child – boy or girl – under 18 years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity, including, but not limited to: cooks, porters, messengers, and anyone accompanying such groups other than family members. It includes girls and boys recruited for sexual purposes and/or forced marriage. The definition, therefore, does not only refer to a child who is carrying, or has carried weapons” (Cape Town Principals, 1997).

Who uses Child Soldiers?

Government military forces or militias, and by non-government armed groups.

Where are Child Soldiers being used?

The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers reports that between 2004 and 2007, thousands of children were participating in conflicts in 19 countries or territories. These were:  Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand and Uganda.

Global hotspots of the use of child soldiers

Why do Armed Groups use Child Soldiers?

Forces use child soldiers because they are easily influenced, expendable, and vulnerable. The recruitment of child soldiers have allowed some armed groups to go to war. The collections of small and lightweight arms have allowed children to be also more readily used in active conflict.  

How do children end up joining into armed groups?

Volunteer recruitment: Some children will join armed forces for ideological or patriotic reasons, anticipating the honour and praise that may be associated. Other children may join just for the access to food, water, and shelter. Many others still join seeing it as an opportunity to avenge the death of a loved-one or may be influenced by their friend’s or families’ involvement in the armed groups.

Coercion: Through peer pressure, children may find themselves influenced into the armed forces by friends and family.

Forced recruitment:  Methods such as abducting, drugging, abusing or ostracizing children into joined armed forces may be used. Also, some are tortured and forced to witness, but also commit, horrendous acts, creating difficulties for the children to return into their communities.