Preventing, demobilizing and reintegrating november 2001 africa region working paper series no. Chapter 14 the psychological impact of child soldiering. Alcinda manuel honwana, child soldiers in africa 2005. The underage recruitment of child soldiers is widespread. Use of child soldiers have led active campaigns against the use of child soldiers. Most are still fighting, but efforts are being made to disarm and reintegrate them into society. Article pdf available in african journal of international and comparative law. Use the essential information to get involved in combating the issue. Child witches and child soldiers in subsaharan africa, public law and legal theory paper no. The united nations childrens fund unicef and its partners struggle to repair the damage. Sierra leones west side boys militia took a squad of british soldiers hostage in 2000. As a teenager in warravaged sierra leone, ishmael beah was brainwashed, drugged and forced to kill.
Malawi has signed and ratified the optional protocol to the convention on the rights of the child on the sale of. Boko haram, is recruiting and using child soldiers as young as 12yearsold, as well as abducted women and girls in the northern region of nigeria, some of whom it later subjected to domestic servitude, forced labor, and sex. The concentrated use of child soldiers seems to have began in mozambique in the 1980s, but now has been reported in nearly a dozen nations featuring an estimated 120,000 children. Transforming children of war into agents of change by brooke breazeale since the turn of the century, subsaharan africa has experienced the fastest growing rate of child soldiers. Currently, an estimated 300,000 children under the age of 18 are involved in military forces or armed rebel groups worldwide.
The presence of child soldiers in war zones has been attributed to different macro causes including but not limited to. The limits of international humanitarian law by melissa eli. Recruitment and use of child soldiers is a consequence of political instability that has resulted in the lack of disregard of both national and international laws. Africa is often considered to be at the epicenter of the child soldier phenomenon.
More than 200 child soldiers freed in south sudan, unicef. Liberia, coalition to stop the use of child soldiers 20 may 2008. I see him in my dreams, and he is talking to me, saying i killed him for nothing, and i am crying. An evaluation of the laws that govern child soldiers in. The use of child soldiers in african armed conflicts. Pdf version i still dream about the boy from my village who i killed. Children associated with armed forces and armed groups caafag, commonly referred to as child soldiers, are both boys and girls who are part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity, including, but not. Typically, this classification includes children serving in noncombatant roles such as cooks or messengers, as well as those serving in combatant roles. Coalition to stop the use of child soldiers, child soldiers global report 2008.
Using data collected in uganda, this paper from the households in conflict network hicn, finds that, contrary to existing evidence, that the major consequences of child soldiering are educational and economic. War, displacement, and the recruitment of child soldiers. In fact, they are not even called child soldiers, although they may well fit into the contemporary category of child soldiers as defined above. Each has consequences so severe that specific international laws have been created in an effort to prevent their occurrence and punish the guilty perpetrators. In short, there are two primary ways children can become child soldiers. When in april 2009, 112 child soldiers who had served with the rebel national liberation forces fln were freed following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the fln and the government of burundi, the existence of modernday child soldiers was brought forcefully into the international spotlight.
Transforming children of war into agents of change by brooke. The use of child soldiers to fight on front line conflict in armies is in fact hazardous child labour. A chinese nationalist soldier, age 10, from the chinese army in india waiting to board a plane in burma, may 1944. The issue of childrens participation in armed political conflict has captured the. The 2017 state of the worlds children report contains the latest update to the comprehensive statistics provided by unicef on child wellbeing download statistical tables excel download statistical tables pdf over 30 years have passed since the state of the worlds children began to publish tables of standardized global and national statistics aimed at providing a detailed picture. Launch of the children, not soldiers campaign aimed at ending child recruitment and use by government armed forces in conflict by the end of 2016. Child soldiers around the world council on foreign relations. A global approach to human rights protection, enforcement and postconflict reintegration. The use of child soldiers in conflict can have longterm consequences for the children concerned. Understanding and addressing the phenomenon of child. Reports suggest that the continent of africa hosts the largest number of child soldiers child soldiers international, 2012. The use of children as soldiers in africa reliefweb. The state of the worlds children 2017 statistical tables.
The ugandan lords resistance army lra, for example, is commonly known for abducting children from their homes. Western clashes with child soldiers are not limited to the war on terrorism. Mary, a 16yearold demobilized child soldier forced to join an armed rebel group in central africa. South sudan has the largest number of child soldiers in africa. There is a growing international consensus that the forced or compulsory recruitment of children girls and boys under the age of 18, and their use in hostilities by both armed forces and armed groups, is illegal and one of the worst forms of child labour. Pdf the presence of child soldiers in war zones has been attributed to different macro causes including but not limited to. More than 120,000 child soldiers fighting in africa.
Unicef works in more than 190 countries and territories to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. An estimated 60 percent of child soldiers in africa. Worldwide, armed forces and nongovernmental armed groups recruit and exploit children. Armed groups using child soldiers cover the continent and are present in nearly. Children continue to serve on the frontline in numerous conflicts at least ten according to the 2004 global report on child soldiers of the coalition to stop the use of child soldiers. Causes, consequences and controls thesis pdf available august 2018 with 1,426 reads how we measure reads. Security council resolution 2143 expresses concern about the military use of schools and encourages member states to consider concrete measures to deter the practice. This paper will examine the existing law on child soldiering. Section 3 then proceeds to analyse the use of children in modern day african conflicts and examines the consequences of child soldiering on children and their.
African child soldiers in the second world war published on december 10, 2014 december 10, 2014 by cigh exeter child soldiers in africa are often assumed to be a new phenomenon, linked to the spread of socalled new wars and new barbarism in the civil wars which swept across the continent. Of the 300,000 child soldiers around the world, 40% are girls save the children, 2005. A survey was conducted to generate descriptive empirical information about the roles ngos play in excombatants reintegration and the knowledge, skills, and training needed to assist ex. The cape town principles and best practices are the result of that symposium. African rebels are far from the first people even in modern history to use children in wartime, but this newest wave of child soldiers really started in the 1980s.
The facts about child soldiers united states department. Prevention of child recruitment a minimum age of 18 years should be. An estimated 60 percent of child soldiers in africa are fourteen years old and under. Children, not soldiers united nations office of the. The recruitment and use of children under 15 is a war crime. Soldiers of the war included a large number of child soldiers who are currently combatants at differing levels and phases of reintegration into society. Anita kiamba may 2014 a research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of masters in international studies at the institute of diplomacy and international studies idis, university of nairobi. In 2008, it was estimated that 40 percent of child soldiers worldwide were in africa, and that the. The problem of follow up, rerecruitment of former child soldiers by different armed groups and the lack of longterm funding are. They recommend actions to be taken by governments and communities in affected countries to end this violation of childrens rights. Form an opinion about whether child soldiers are victims or victimizers. They kidnapped young girls,sell them into slavery and forcefully married them. Hundreds of thousands of child combatants fought in recent civil wars in africa, yet little is known about the longterm impact of child soldiering. A new report on child soldiers in africa has found that more than 120,000 children under 18 years of age are being used as soldiers across the continent.
Though these organizations have drawn attention to the participation of children in conflicts from latin america colombia to the near east palestine and even asia burma, africa is often presented as the continent hardest hit by this unacceptable practice. Assess the scope of the use of child soldiers throughout the world today. Recruitment and use of child soldiers is a consequence of high rate of unemployment 2. Explaining the rise of child soldiers, international security forthcoming, quote on p. Understanding the recruitment of child soldiers in africa. Ngo strategy toward the reintegration of child soldiers in. Or cite the relevant chapter 6 see the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees, chapter 1, general provisions, article 1 and the convention governing the specific aspects of refugee problems in africa, organization of african unity, 1969. Healing child soldiers a united nations treaty prohibiting the use of children in hostilities has been ratified by 126 countries, but at least 250 000 child soldiers are currently involved in armed conflicts worldwide. A long way gone 3 child soldiers teaching resources 45 featured curriculum. A juxtaposition of angola and mozambique civil wars show that more child soldiers were used in the mozambican war than in the angolan civil war. Much can happen that will touch the rest of their lives for good or for ill. Republic since the latest conflict started six years ago. Child soldiers in post colonial africa 2 featured book.
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