MILITARY USE OF CHILDREN

            As we celebrate Red Hand Day every year on February 12, I will post information about the military use of children from Wikipedia and other links.

Red Hand Day logo (A bright right hand shape. In the center is a sillouette of a small child in a military uniform and carrying a rifle.)

Three child soldiers under the age of 17 in Lysychansk

The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities (child soldiers), or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, lookouts; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in propaganda.

Throughout history and in many cultures, children have been extensively involved in military campaigns even when such practices were against cultural morals. In WW1, in Great Britain 250,000 boys under 19 managed to join the army. In WW2, child soldiers fought throughout Eastern Europe, in the Warsaw Uprising, in the Jewish resistance, and in the Soviet Army. Since the 1970s, a number of international conventions have come into effect that try to limit the participation of children in armed conflicts, nevertheless the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers reports that the use of children in military forces, and the active participation of children in armed conflicts is widespread.

According to Wessels (1997), "The use of children in armed conflict is global in scope—a far greater problem than suggested by the scant attention it has received. Child soldiers are found from Central America to the Great Lakes region of Central Africa, and from Belfast in the north to Angola in the south" ( p. 2). Children are easy targets to recruit for military purposes because of their vulnerability to influence. Many are seized and recruited by force whereas others join to escape their reality and circumstances.

International law

United Nations

International humanitarian law

International labor law

War crimes

Nations and groups involved in military use of children

Africa

Asia and Oceania

Europe

North America

Latin America

Central America

South America

Caribbean

Movement to stop military use of children

History

1800s and earlier

World War I      

Spanish Civil War

World War II

Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos

Sierra Leone

Uganda

Reintegration of child soldiers

Family reunification/community network

Psychological support        

Education/economic opportunity

Education and economic opportunities help the former child soldier to establish a new identity for him or herself.

Access to education is one of the most requested forms of support in a post-conflict environment; however, it is often dismissed for economic reasons.

Access to formal education remains a challenge for a multitude of reasons:

• the need to earn an income supersedes the desire for education
• the family cannot afford education
• schools have been destroyed as a result of the conflict, or there is a lack of teachers
• difficulty in obtaining documentation to enroll in educational institutions.
• child soldier feel shame for their action and/or there is resentment between the former child soldiers and their classmates.

It is important to strike a balance between education and economic opportunity. Key aspects of striking this balance include:

• creation of accelerated formal education program and alternative education models that suit the needs of the former child soldiers
• focusing education on approaches that can generate income, such as market-appropriate vocational training
• inclusion of child soldier reintegration in the post-conflict economic policy of the country in question

INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-child-soldiers

2008 poster by Rafaela Tasca and Carlos Latuff

PHOTO DESCRIPTION: 2008 poster by Rafaela Tasca and Carlos Latuff

11 Facts About Child Soldiers

1. Child soldiers are any children under the age of 18 who are recruited by a state or non-state armed group and used as fighters, cooks, suicide bombers, human shields, messengers, spies, or for sexual purposes.
2. In the last 13 years, the use of child soldiers has spread to almost every region of the world and every armed conflict. Though an exact number is impossible to define, thousands of child soldiers are illegally serving in armed conflict around the world.
3. Some children are under the age of 10 when they are forced to serve.
4. Two-thirds of states confirm that under-18 enrollment should be banned to prohibit forced child soldiers, as well as 16- and 17-year-old armed force volunteers.
5. Children who are poor, displaced from their families, have limited access to education, or live in a combat zone are more likely to be forcibly recruited.

6. Children who are not forced to be soldiers volunteer themselves because they feel societal pressure and are under the impression that volunteering will provide a form of income, food, or security, and willingly join the group.
7. In the last 2 years, 20 states have been reported to have child soldiers in government, government-affiliated, and non-state armed groups. Additionally, 40 states still have minimum age recruitment requirements under 18 years.
8. Girls make up an estimated 10 to 30 percent of child soldiers used for fighting and other purposes. They are especially vulnerable when it comes to sexual violence.
9. The following countries have reported use of child soldiers since 2011: Afghanistan, Colombia, India, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Mali, Pakistan, Thailand, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and more.
10. Despite a government agreement in the District of Chad to demobilize the recruitment of child soldiers, there were between 7,000 and 10,000 children under 18 serving in combat and fulfilling other purposes in 2007.

11. The recruitment of child soldiers breaks several human rights laws. Children who have committed crimes as soldiers are looked upon more leniently, crimes committed voluntarily are subject to justice under the international juvenile justice standards.

Sources

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Child Soldiers International UK. "About the Issues." Child Soldiers International. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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Child Soldiers International UK. "About the Issues." Child Soldiers International. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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Child Soldiers International UK. "About the Issues." Child Soldiers International. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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Child Soldiers International UK. "About the Issues." Child Soldiers International. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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Plan International USA. "What is a child soldier?." Plan USA. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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United Nations Children's Fund. "Factsheet: Child Soldiers ." UNICEF. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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United Nations Children's Fund. "Factsheet: Child Soldiers ." UNICEF. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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"Declaration on accession to the Optional Protocol." UN General Assembly, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, May 25, 2005. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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Child Soldiers International UK. "FAQ." Child Soldiers International. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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Child Soldiers International UK. "FAQ." Child Soldiers International. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. "CHAD: Children conscripted by poverty." IRIN Africa. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

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Ranjan, Tejaswini. "Children In Armed Conflicts." Journal of Business Management & Social Sciences Research 2, no. 12 (2013): 32-42. Accessed March 30, 2014. .

OTHER LINKS:

http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/2csoldrs.htm

http://www.faqs.org/childhood/So-Th/Soldier-Children-Global-Human-Rights-Issues.html

http://www.hrw.org/topic/childrens-rights/child-soldiers

http://www.cfr.org/human-rights/child-soldiers-around-world/p9331

https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/effects-of-conflict/six-grave-violations/child-soldiers/

http://www.globalissues.org/article/82/children-conflicts-and-the-military