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Some people may argue that a couple of children volunteer or choose to join the army, so they should take responsibility for their actions. The article Child Soldiers on Theirworld states, "Children choose to join as a result of economic or social pressures” Children are too young to be making the right decisions and could have been peer pressured to join. They didn’t know what they were getting themselves into when they agreed to join.

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Children are particularly vulnerable in times of conflict. Here we look at the global issue of the recruitment and use of child soldiers and what is being done to tackle the problem.

What is a child soldier?

Any girl or boy below the age of 18 who is recruited or used by an armed force or armed group, in any capacity.

A child soldier is not just someone who is involved in fighting. They can also be those in other roles such as cooks, porters, messengers, human shields, spies, suicide bombers or those used for sexual exploitation. It includes children recruited and trained for military purposes, but not used in war.

Who recruits child soldiers?

Children are recruited all over the world by state armed forces and armed groups outside government control.

Non-state armed groups are more likely than states to use children in armed conflict. This makes the problem more difficult to tackle as these groups are less visible and harder to negotiate with.

Why do children become child soldiers?

Children become soldiers in different ways. Some are forcibly recruited. They may be abducted, threatened or coerced into joining, while others are enticed with money, drugs or in other ways.

In many cases, children choose to join as a result of economic or social pressures. Others join armed forces to fight for a cause that they or their family support, often with little clear understanding of the implications of their decision.

Being poor, displaced, separated from their families or living in a combat zone can make children particularly vulnerable to being recruited.

Armed groups target children for several reasons. They are easier to manipulate, they don't need much food and they don't have a highly developed sense of danger.

What happens to child soldiers?

Some children will be trained for and participate in armed combat, while others will be given a supporting role. In almost all cases child soldiers will not have access to formal education.

A number of former child combatants from the Central African Republic have reported that they were forced to perform horrific acts, such as killing their own parents as a form of initiation into the armed group. It is thought that this initiation hardens them to brutality and breaks the bonds with their community, making it difficult to return.

How many child soldiers are there?

There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today in at least 20 countries.

About 40% of child soldiers are girls, who are often used as sex slaves and taken as "wives" by male fighters.

Where are child soldiers recruited?

Fifty countries still allow children to be recruited into armed forces, according to Child Soldiers International. Many non-state armed groups also recruit children.

The UN Secretary-General's annual "name and shame" list for 2017 highlighted the armed forces of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for recruiting and using under-18s for armed conflict. But non-state armed groups also recruit children in these and other countries.

The report said there were at least 4000 verified violations by government forces and over 11,500 by non-state armed groups in the 20 country situations it examined.

What's being done to end the practice of recruiting child soldiers?

In the past two decades, thousands of boys and girls have been freed as a result of action plans mandated by the United Nations Security Council.

Launched in March 2014, the campaign Children, Not Soldiers is working to galvanise support to end and prevent recruitment of children by national security forces in conflict. It is particularly focused on Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen, all of which have signed UN Action Plans.

The UN Secretary-General's 2017 report on children and armed conflict said there had been several positive moves. That included armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Philippines being delisted and the signing of a peace agreement in Colombia that included a special agreement on the release and reintegration of children.

Efforts are being made to support the release of children in these countries to civilian life and to help reintegrate them, as well as plans to prevent future recruitment of children.

Measures are being taken around the world to prevent children becoming soldiers in the future. It is important to establish and enforce 18 as the minimum age for recruitment.

The majority of states have already done this and many non-state groups have done so too. International political efforts continue to encourage all groups to do likewise.

How can child soldiers be helped?

Many child soldiers end up desensitised to violence, which can psychologically damage them. Many are traumatised by what they have been forced to do or have witnessed. Children need to undergo reintegration programmes to help them return to civilian life.

Girls face the additional difficulty of social stigma attached to the belief they have been engaged in sexual activity.

Most child soldiers have missed out on school and need additional education in order to feed themselves and make a more stable life for themselves.

There are various organisations such as War Child and Child Soldiers International who are dedicated to tackling the problem through campaigning and raising awareness, as well as rescuing and rehabilitating child soldiers.

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Children are particularly vulnerable in times of conflict. Here we look at the global issue of the recruitment and use of child soldiers and what is being done to tackle the problem. Any girl or boy below the age of 18 who is recruited or used by an armed force or armed group, in any capacity.

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As you can see, the child soldiers look unhappy and uncomfortable. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into, and it is not their fault.
Photo credits: Theirworld

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Child soldier 1. Credit AWorldAtSchool_Flickr

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 Joining The Army fto Run Away from Poverty.

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 Joining The Army fto Run Away from Poverty.

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Many countries with child soldiers are third world countries where there is a considerable amount of poverty. "...are driven by poverty, compelled to generate income for their families". In these countries families may sell children to the armies for money to survive. Children may also volunteer to join the army so they can have food and shelter. These children are mistaken by what they think the Army entailes for them. "Warring parties also deprive children of nutrition and healthy living conditions, or subject them to substance abuse, with significant consequences for their physical and mental well-being". Although these children think they will have a better life in the army, they do not. Many armies starve the children and they become extremely malnourished, others introduce the children to drugs to purposely get them addicted giving them a lifetime of substance abuse and emotional trauma.

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UNICEF Is Working to Free Child Soldiers Around the World

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For over 70 years, UNICEF has been putting children first, working to protect their rights and provide the assistance and services they need to survive and thrive all over the world.

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Although it's certain that war conditions are harsh, enough for anyone be unhinged. But the military has other jobs that don't include becoming a soldier, which doesn't include as much trauma. Some roles are cooks, messengers, spies, etc. While it's true that their jobs vary, that doesn't mean that it has any less effect on them. Not to mention, some of the 'jobs', are bad too, such as sex slaves and suicide bombers. The article Child and Recruitment Use from Children and Armed Conflict states "No matter their role, child soldiers are exposed to acute levels of violence – as witnesses, direct victims and as forced participants. Some are injured and have to live with disabilities for the rest of their lives." The amount of trauma doesn't matter, what matters is that the children shouldn't be experiencing trauma in the first place, which in this case, all the jobs are from the same horrid place with the same horrid people: the military.

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United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict | To promote and protect the rights of all children affected by armed conflict

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Child Recruitment and Use - United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict | To promote and protect the rights of all children affected by armed conflict

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A child stands on the day before his release from an armed group in South Sudan. Photo: UNICEF

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Today, there are between 250,00 and 300,000, children fighting in the world. their recruitment begins from the age of 10. child soldiers are used as instruments in war machined that executed even parents and friends.
Humanium - Child Soldiers

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These children are put in dangerous situations and are used as "army bait"

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These children are put in dangerous situations and are used as "army bait"

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"Child soldiers are boys and girls who are often abducted and used as combatants, forced to act as human shields or conduct executions, deployed as suicide bombers, or used to make or transport explosives."
These children are treated like they are in the army to be killed. They are used for the most dangerous jobs such as being human shields, being suicide bombers, or transporting explosives.

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Thousands of children are recruited and used in armed conflicts across the world. Between 2005 and 2022, more than 105,000 children were verified as recruited and used by parties to conflict, although the actual number of cases is believed to be much higher.

Often referred to as "child soldiers," these boys and girls suffer extensive forms of exploitation and abuse that are not fully captured by that term. Warring parties use children not only as fighters, but as scouts, cooks, porters, guards, messengers and more. Many, especially girls, are also subjected to gender-based violence.

Children become part of an armed force or group for various reasons. Some are abducted, threatened, coerced or manipulated by armed actors. Others are driven by poverty, compelled to generate income for their families. Still others associate themselves for survival or to protect their communities. No matter their involvement, the recruitment and use of children by armed forces is a grave violation of child rights and international humanitarian law.

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Children recruited by armed forces or armed groups

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Thousands of boys and girls are used as soldiers, cooks, spies and more in armed conflicts around the world

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Child soldiers are children that are voluntary, forced, kidnapped, or born in the army. They are from the ages of 5-12. They are being used as sex slaves, wives cleaners cooks, soldiers, and so much more. Child soldiers are used in poorer countries like Nigeria, Afghanistan,  the Central African Republic, and many more.

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Some people will say that they are volunteering to go in the army but they are young and don't know what they are getting themselves into.
“Many children volunteer to fight as they have few other options for a livelihood outside of an armed organization. The military or militia is seen as a 'meal ticket' and a place for safety and security. Children are also easier to convince and control, and often require little or no payment, making them targets for terror groups and militias.”

Child soldiers join because they think they are going to have a better life. As well as have people protect them. But, in reality, they do not know what they are getting themselves into.

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By Siddharth Chatterjee

" Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul " - Dave Pelzer

The Kony 2012 video viewed by nearly 100 million people stunned the world and brought back into focus the egregious use of children as combatants. The blatant terror and savagery taking place in a moral vacuum of sorts, where thousands of children are maimed, raped, killed and abused is a microcosm of a problem afflicting many parts of the world. It even spurred some U.S. Senators to act upon the decades of crimes against humanity committed by the notorious Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda.

Human Rights Watch confirmed reports of child soldiers being used extensively in recent weeks by the M 23 rebel group in the Congo. Young children continue to be recruited and used as soldiers, scarring them for life. Estimates suggest that as many as 300,000 child soldiers are active in conflicts around the world. 40% of armed forces (including national armies, militias, gangs, terrorist organizations and resistance forces) in the world use children.

Many erroneously believe that child soldiers are mostly boys. In fact, 30% of armed organizations that use children have girls. Girl soldiers aren't just at risk for long-lasting physical and psychological wounds, they are almost always at risk of often brutal sexual violence as well.

The other fallacy is that the issue of child soldiers is isolated to armed militias in parts of Africa. Child soldiers have been used by armed groups in recent and ongoing conflicts in South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and South America. Moreover, some governments also recruit and use children under the age of 18 in their armed forces.

Numerous factors influence the recruitment of young children into conflicts. Children are most vulnerable in areas where conflicts have raged over a long period of time. If children are born into and raised in a conflict zone, they are more likely to be de-sensitized to violence. They are also less likely to have been exposed to opportunities, such as education or jobs.

Besides forced recruitment, many children volunteer to fight as they have few other options for a livelihood outside of an armed organization. The military or militia is seen as a 'meal ticket' and a place for safety and security. Children are also easier to convince and control, and often require little or no payment, making them targets for terror groups and militias.

Society must also reflect on what war can do to the psyche of survivors. Child soldiers who have managed to be rehabilitated have told stories of becoming de-sensitized to killing others after having been recruited when they were as young as 9 or 10. Studies show that these children suffer from high rates of depression and anxiety. They are also victimized by the loss of a moral compass and social bonds. Due to the severe violence they mete out to others, they lose the ability to rationalize between wrong and right, causing long-lasting damage to their psyche.

Children exposed to long-term violence are also at risk for psycho-somatic symptoms such as insomnia and nightmares, as well as prone to addiction and aggressive behaviour. In Liberia, studies showed that 90% of child soldiers showed evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 65% displayed symptoms of a major depressive disorder. Many have thoughts of suicide.

What must be done about this? One option remains most urgently in front of society: Children already recruited into violent conflicts can be rescued and re-integrated into society. The international community does not need to wait for conflicts to end for children to be removed from armed organizations. UNICEF demonstrated this clearly in South Sudan in 2001, when, after protracted negotiations with all parties to the conflict, the organization and its partners removed thousands of child soldiers from the on-going conflict and re-integrated them into society. Many lives were saved as a result.

Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programs have been implemented in countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia. The most replicable and successful examples are when various actors partner with local authorities. For example, in Liberia, a range of partners acted in concert to re-integrate children, including UNICEF, World Food Program, World Health Organization (WHO), ActionAid, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The biggest challenge for most child soldiers comes in the 'R' part of DDR programs. Having been raised in hyper-violent situations, most children are unable to adjust to civilian life. There is often little recourse for effective mental health counselling in countries recovering from armed conflict. Many face stigma from other members of society.

Mental health counselling may prove to be a sine qua non to successfully re-integrating child soldiers into civilian life. In this regard, it may be critical to enlist the help of national psychiatric institutions from developed countries as well as international NGOs that provide health services.

Economic re-integration is already a part of DDR programs. Many of these children have only ever known a violent life; left without options and opportunities, they are doomed to repeat the same cycle of conflict they grew up in. Child soldiers can be trained in vocational, trade and business skills to enable them to participate in economic activities. Younger, pre-adolescent children can be sent to specialized schools where the focus is on learning life and basic education skills, rather than making them fit into regular schools where they have little in common with their peers.

Experts say that once conflicts end and many psychologically scarred former child soldiers (now young adults) are demobilized and returned to their communities, the peace is fragile and insecurity is amplified. This is because these children have not been properly reintegrated and their psycho-social needs unmet. Parts of Africa, Asia and South America risk long term instability as there is evidence of children moving from one armed group to another, or becoming part of criminal gangs.

Finally there is need for affirmative political action. The United States can play a pivotal role in this regard. To its credit, the United States has laws (the Child Soldier Prevention Act) that prevent military aid to countries and groups that employ child soldiers. However, parties have been exempt from these laws at the discretion of the American government. It is imperative that this is avoided at all costs. America's moral leadership and astute conviction is urgently needed to stop this highly egregious and tragic practice.

The U.S. can literally define a new narrative to end the use of child soldiers. Its voice and influence still carries sway. It should also strengthen the International Criminal Court to prosecute countries, groups, warlords and leaders who violate the rights of the child and use children as combatants. The message must be clear and unequivocal, "zero tolerance" on children being used and abused in armed conflicts and in gang warfare.

Society at large needs to ensure a global compact-including civil society, the private sector, government and militaries-which can work together to re-integrate child soldiers back into society and make them productive individuals and their dignity restored.

On the issue of children, values must be the guiding principle, not Realpolitik. As President John F. Kennedy once said, "Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future". That future should not be jeopardized.
These are personal views of Siddharth Chatterjee. In 2001, in UNICEF, he led the demobilization of child soldiers during an on-going conflict in South Sudan and recently did a talk on child soldiers. He currently works in the . His e mail address is: sidc@alumni.princeton.edu. Twitter:

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For Child Soldiers, Every Day Is A Living Nightmare

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By Siddharth Chatterjee " Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul " - Dave Pelzer The Kony 2012 video viewed by nearly 100 million people stunned the world and brought back into focus the egregious use of children as combatants.

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They experience traumatizing events that are nearly impossible to get over.
“In reality the risks to children in armed groups is huge, and the after-effects can last a lifetime.”
Children are being put through terrifying experiences that they will not be able to get over, and they're expected to be like everyone else,  but they cannot because they have lived very different lives.

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It's almost impossible to know the exact figure but it's estimated there are tens of thousands of children in armed groups around the world.

The UN defines child soldiers as 'children associated with armed forces and groups', or 'CAAFAG' for short.

Not all children have armed roles in these groups, so referring them as 'child soldiers' isn't always accurate:

"A child associated with an armed force or armed group refers to any person below 18 years of age who is, or who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, spies or for sexual purposes."

Some children are abducted by armed groups, but some are lured in by promises of education, security, money and status, and others are indoctrinated or forced.

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The effects of being a child soldier can last a lifetime

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It's almost impossible to know the exact figure but it's estimated there are tens of thousands of children in armed groups around the world. The UN defines child soldiers as 'children associated with armed forces and groups', or 'CAAFAG' for short.

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Children are at a stage of their life where they need to to learn from their own experiences and live their childhood to the fullest. but get traumatized and see massacres, scarring them instead of allowing them to just be a kid. The on the website Accord, the article Understanding the Recruitment of Child Soldiers in Africa by Anne-Lynn Dudenhoefer states "They can be psychologically manipulated through a deliberate programme of starvation, thirst, fatigue, voodoo, indoctrination, beatings, the use of drugs and alcohol, and even sexual abuse to render them compliant to the new norms of child soldiering." From such harsh conditions in the military camps, children are the most vulnerable and easiest to be controlled. Not to mention, mental illnesses form easily, creating an even more unstable mindset for the child, prone to getting manipulated. Recruitments of child soldiers are high because of how easier it is to turn them into mindless soldiers.

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While it is estimated that about 40% of all child soldiers globally are active on the African continent, scholars appear to evaluate this number in different ways. Vera Achvarina and Simon Reich draw the conclusion that "[s]ince 1975, Africa has become the epicentre of the problem, providing the largest concentration of both conflicts and child soldiers". ¹ On the other hand, Mark A. Drumbl states that "only a plurality - reportedly, about 40% - of the global number of child soldiers is located on the African continent". ² Many African societies are experiencing or have experienced civil conflict at some stage, but it is important to emphasise that this article does not intend to "Africanize a global phenomenon and pathologize African conflicts". ³

Although the causes of civil conflicts remain almost too complex to be thoroughly analysed, some attention has to be paid to the so-called feasibility thesis, which suggests that rebellious movements occur where they are feasible. ⁴ Underlying causes of civil conflicts can be said to be low per-capita income and slow economic growth, among others. ⁵ For rebel groups and other individuals, civil war might be seen as an economic opportunity. Other explanations for civil war, and its reasons, such as the greed and grievance debate, have been challenged and will not be tackled in this article. ⁶

To understand the living situation of many African children, it is essential to recognise the risk involved with a post-conflict society relapsing into conflict. Within a time span of a decade, according to Paul Collier et al., this risk is as high as 40% ⁷ - meaning that many children live in an environment that is constantly under threat of reverting to conflict. "Many of these wars do not formally end through victory or negotiated settlement; they are low-intensity conflicts [...]. It is in these types of environments that we are most likely to encounter the use of child soldiers." ⁸

Moreover, the end of the cold war left some armed forces or groups without further financial support - before, they had been supported by either the United States or the Soviet Union fighting proxy wars. ⁹ The result was that "[g]roups no longer able to finance their conflicts pursued peace negotiations, were defeated militarily, or started recruiting or abducting relatively cheap child soldiers". ¹⁰

By understanding the recruitment process of child soldiers, the design of post-conflict reintegration programmes can be improved. Future recruitment can be prevented if international agencies know the underlying causes for employing child soldiers. Therefore, two major questions require further exploration. First, why are child soldiers recruited at all? Second, why and how do children join armed forces and groups? Not all recruitment can be said to happen involuntarily. In other words, the push and pull factors involved have to be critically assessed.

The Reasons for Recruitment

The benefits of recruiting child soldiers seem to be concealed when first approaching the topic. Why would any army or military movement rely on the inferior physical power and inexperience of children? Why are children the "weapon of choice" in so many countries? ¹¹

Roméo Dallaire, who encountered child soldiers in the Rwandan genocide, states that more than 50% of the population in many African conflict or post-conflict zones consists of children younger than 18 years old. ¹² Consequently, one of the reasons for employing child soldiers is that "they are viewed as expendable, replaceable" - and they are cheap to maintain. They are also psychologically more vulnerable than many adults, who already have a more shaped personality. Since younger children, in particular, can lack a sense of fear, they might be preferred over adults because they accept more dangerous tasks without scrutinising them. ¹³ Children's and adolescents' identities are still being formed, meaning that they can be more easily influenced and controlled, since they are dependent on protection and guidance. If parents, family and friends are lost, children might:

...transfer loyalty to another adult, especially one who holds the power of reward and punishment. They can be psychologically manipulated through a deliberate programme of starvation, thirst, fatigue, voodoo, indoctrination, beatings, the use of drugs and alcohol, and even sexual abuse to render them compliant to the new norms of child soldiering. ¹⁴

Still puzzling, though, is the question of how children can actually be effective in direct combat, given the fact that they are smaller and physically weaker than adults? Child soldiers are able to take part in combat, due to the widespread and global proliferation of small arms - mainly AK-47 assault rifles, the so-called Kalashnikovs. "[T]echnological improvements in small arms now permit these child recruits to be effective participants in warfare," ¹⁵ which makes them almost as dangerous and effective as any adult soldier. Approximately more than 70 million AK-47 rifles have been produced globally since 1947, ¹⁶ and this weapon "can be easily carried and used to deadly effect by children as young as 10". ¹⁷

Due to the wide proliferation of small arms, two major problems are faced in post-conflict societies and throughout the disarmament and demobilisation process. First, a country's leadership finds itself confronted with large stocks of so-called "surplus weapons", which could pose a serious security threat if they fall into the wrong hands. ¹⁸ Second, "enormous numbers of weapons remain or fall in the hands of ex-combatants" ¹⁹ because disarmament programmes might have limited success - many combatants own more than one weapon and are suspicious about turning them in, in case ceasefires do not hold.

Although the spread of light weaponry certainly does play a significant role in the use of child soldiers, it has to be borne in mind that children also participate in conflict without technologically advanced weapons. In Rwanda, killings took place by either using a panga, which is a machete, or a masu, a club studded with nails. ²⁰ As Drumbl states: "Child soldiering connects to these conventionally cited and situational forces [but...] is, however, much more than merely epiphenomenal to these forces." ²¹ To understand more about the recruitment of child soldiers, both forced and voluntary recruitment have to be thoroughly analysed.

Forced Recruitment

Abduction is the most common method by which child soldier recruitment takes place. In short, there are two primary ways children can become child soldiers:

1. they are abducted, or conscripted through coercion or severe threats; or

2. they are born into forces or groups.²²

The Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), for example, is commonly known for abducting children from their homes. According to the 2008 Global Report on Child Soldiers by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, the LRA has abducted about 25 000 children since the 1980s. "During active hostilities children in the LRA were forced to participate in combat and to carry out raids, kill and mutilate other child soldiers and civilians, and loot and burn houses." ²³ Although most parents and family try to hide and protect their children, many of them get taken anyway - as in the case of an adolescent who had been abducted at the age of 16 in Sierra Leone:

My Dad and I were planting rice and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) came and captured us. Dad begged the soldiers to release me, but they insisted... Dad trailed them since he couldn't let me go... So they killed my Dad. ²⁴

Similar to the LRA, the RUF in Sierra Leone used abduction as one of its main recruitment methods, but it should not be forgotten that "all sides had recruited children, who were the main victims of forced recruitment" ²⁵ - meaning that the pro-government Civil Defence Forces (CDF), the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Sierra Leone Army also forced children into their ranks. "By 1998 about 25% percent of the fighting forces were under 18." ²⁶

Voluntary Recruitment

However, if children are not forcibly recruited, why do they decide to join armed groups and forces, apart from peer pressure? Whereas push factors first drive children away from their known environment, pull factors encourage them to join the fighting forces. Push factors include "grievances, repression and discrimination" ²⁷ as well as poverty, lack of education and employment, abuse at home or - due to previous conflict - having no home or community at all any more. Pull factors include - paradoxically - seeking security in fighting forces, provision of food, a sense of belonging and ideology or group identity, as well as economic reasons such as gaining profit. ²⁸ A study on recruitment in Colombia, for example, revealed that many children who voluntarily joined the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were driven by "poverty, unemployment, vengeance, avoiding violence from the rival group, and the allure of the military life" ²⁹ as main push factors

Furthermore, children are often promised some payoff when joining armed forces and groups. These can be divided into pecuniary and non-pecuniary rewards, with pecuniary rewards mostly consisting of "wages, one-shot monetary rewards (often associated with loot), and other tangible rewards such as drugs and alcohol". ³⁰ Non-pecuniary rewards could include the achievement of rank, bonding with comrades and commanders, and forming a group identity. All these factors are used to motivate group members, which is why allegiance is seldom achieved by pecuniary rewards but rather by certain socialisation processes. ³¹ Hence, not all children are simply forced at gunpoint to become combatants - in many cases, their decision is made based on their social, cultural and economic environment and limited opportunities.

One remaining significant question is why the use of child soldiers differs from area to area or country to country? It is important to realise that numerous reasons are valid, and that it is tempting but misleading to make sweeping generalisations. However, it is crucial not to omit so-called accessibility factors, which describe to which extent children are easily accessible for recruiters. ³² Recent studies have suggested that the previously mentioned push and pull factors indeed contribute to children becoming soldiers, but those factors alone do not capture the full picture.

For recruiters, easy access to large groups of children is provided in refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. While "[i]nternational law mandates respect the civilian and humanitarian character of refugee camps and prohibits refugee participation in military activity", ³³ the same does not hold true for IDP camps. Here, international law assumes that since people are internally displaced, their national governments will take care of them. "In reality, though, IDPs flee because their government cannot or will not protect them" ³⁴ - meaning that, in many cases, IDP camps remain almost unprotected, thus turning into major recruitment grounds, infiltrated by fighting forces.

Political scientist Sarah K. Lischer recognises two main patterns by which children are recruited in refugee and IDP camps: the militarisation path and the insecurity path. ³⁵

As visualised above, both the militarisation path and the insecurity path are actively used in refugee camps to recruit new child soldiers. The presence of non-civilian militants among refugees can lead to refugee militarisation, and subsequently to the recruitment of child soldiers. Insecure camps, on the other hand, pave the path for the abduction of refugee children by militant groups, while the insecurity path over time leaves room for potential child soldier recruiters to infiltrate the camps and indoctrinate children and adolescents.

Another study went even further by stating that "substantial poverty rates say little about whether a country is likely to have child soldier participants in armed conflicts". ³⁶ Moreover, it is argued that even orphan and child soldier rates do not exhibit any significant correlation in the countries under investigation, such as Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Senegal, Mali, Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Lesotho. ³⁷ As can be seen, although circumstances such as severe poverty can definitely have a threshold effect, accessibility factors should not be underestimated. Due to this realisation, non-governmental organisation workers and volunteers often try to protect refugee and IDP camps by their mere physical presence, trying to deter recruiters:

This "protection by presence" usually breaks down in the face of life-threatening security situations. In 2006, riots in a camp for internally displaced persons in Darfur, Sudan, forced the evacuation of aid workers and journalists from the camp. The only security force consisted of a handful of unarmed African Union soldiers. ³⁸

Such situations leave children particularly vulnerable to abduction and recruitment, since many children in these camps lack family protection or support by relatives.

Conclusion

Now the question is whether we will commit ourselves to the protection of our most precious heritage, our children. ³⁹

In sum, the recruitment of child soldiers is more complex than it initially appears. Each individual child has a different life story and upbringing, as well as individual reasons to either try to stay away from armed forces and groups or to join them - if they have not already been forced to join the ranks.

Again, what has to be borne in mind is the need to look beyond conventional wisdom and stereotypes: most voluntary recruitment is not due to children's free choice. For some children, joining a guerrilla movement might be the most attractive alternative to stay alive, given the social, structural and political conditions. In other words, the universal condemnation of the recruitment of child soldiers needs to take the issue of alternatives into consideration. What if the alternative is worse than becoming a child soldier? If the recruitment and re-recruitment of children as soldiers is to be prevented, then the economic, social and individual environment of potential recruits must be taken into account.

Finally, the reintegration of former child soldiers should aim at preventing further recruitment. It makes no sense to simply let it happen and then provide aid after the damage has occurred. In addition to the idea that successful reintegration can serve as a recruitment prevention strategy itself, other strategies should also be employed.

There are other strategies that must be combined to have an effect on the recruiters of child soldiers. Currently, the UN employs three different strategies: "deterrence, naming and shaming, and criminalisation of the recruitment of child soldiers." ⁴⁰ While every strategy has proven to have severe limitations, and even the effect of the prosecution of military leaders for war crimes and the employment of child soldiers is questionable, ⁴¹ it can be agreed that even slow progress is, nonetheless, progress. Whether this progress continues or not will also depend on the assistance provided to disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration. The recruiters of child soldiers should be held accountable by international as well as national agencies. ⁴²

Dealing with the highly complex issue of recruitment and the reintegration of child soldiers - and, possibly, even the future prevention of their employment - is a very challenging problem with significant consequences and impacts. But, Dallaire reminds us to remain indefatigably positive and steadfast in our quest to end the recruitment of child soldiers:

...but so what if we have to battle? So what if it takes forty or fifty years to end the use of the child soldier [...]? It will have been worth it for the betterment of humanity and the protection of our youth. ⁴³

Endnotes

1. Achvarina, Vera and Reich, Simon (2010) No Place to Hide: Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Child Soldier Recruits. In Gates, Scott and Reich, Simon (eds) Child Soldiers in the Age of Fractured States. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, p. 56.

2. Drumbl, Mark A. (2012) Reimagining Child Soldiers. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 6.

3. Ibid., p. 6.

4. cf.Collier, Paul et al. (2008) Post-conflict Risks. Journal of Peace Research, 45(4), p. 464.

5. cf. Ibid., p. 464.

6. cf. Sanin, Francisco G. (2010) Organizing Minors: The Case of Colombia. In Gates, Scott and Reich, Simon (eds) op. cit., p. 135.

7. cf. Collier, Paul et al. (2008) op. cit., p. 474.

8. Gates, Scott and Reich, Simon (2010) Conclusion: Children and Human Security. In Gates, Scott and Reich, Simon (eds) op. cit., p. 250.

9. cf. Ibid., p. 249.

10. Ibid., p. 249.

11. Dallaire, Roméo (2011) They Fight like Soldiers, They Die like Children. London: Arrow Books, p. 3.

12. cf. Ibid., p. 117.

13. cf. Wessels, Michael (2006) Child Soldiers: From Violence to Protection. London: Harvard University Press, p. 36.

14. Ibid., p. 118.

15. Singer, P.W. (2010) The Enablers of War: Causal Factors Behind the Child Soldier Phenomenon. In Gates, Scott and Reich, Simon (eds) op. cit., p. 95.

16. cf. Machel, Graça (2011) The Impact of War on Children. London: C. Hurst & Co., p. 122.

17. Ibid., p. 7.

18. cf. Kingma, Kees (1997) Demobilization of Combatants After Civil Wars in Africa and Their Reintegration into Civilian Life. Policy Sciences, 30, p. 155.

19. Ibid., p. 156.

20. cf. Drumbl, Mark A. (2012) op. cit., p. 63.

21. Ibid., p. 63.

22. Ibid., p. 62.

23. Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers (2008) Child Soldiers: Global Report 2008. London: Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, p. 347.

24. Wessels, Michael (2006) op. cit., p. 38.

25. Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers (2008) op. cit., p. 299.

26. Ibid., p. 299.

27. Hauge, Wenche (2011) Girl Soldiers in Guatemala. In í-zerdem, Alpaslan and Podder, Sukanya (eds) Child Soldiers: From Recruitment to Reintegration. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, p. 92.

28. cf. Ibid., p. 92.

29. Sanin, Francisco G. (2010) op. cit., p. 137.

30. Andvig, Jens C. and Gates, Scott (2010) Recruiting Children for Armed Conflict. In Gates, Scott and Reich, Simon (eds) op. cit., p. 81.

31. cf. Vermeij, Lotte (2011) Socialization and Reintegration Challenges: A Case Study of the Lord's Resistance Army. In í-zerdem, Alpaslan and Podder, Sukanya (eds) op. cit., p. 184.

32. cf. Ames, Barry (2010) Methodological Problems in the Study of Child Soldiers. In Gates, Scott and Reich, Simon (eds) op. cit., p. 15.

33. Lischer, Sarah K. (2010) War, Displacement, and the Recruitment of Child Soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Gates, Scott and Reich, Simon (eds) op. cit., p. 145.

34. Ibid., p. 146.

35. cf. Ibid., p. 145.

36. Achvarina, Vera and Reich, Simon (2010) op. cit., p. 60.

37. Ibid., pp. 61-62.

38. Lischer, Sarah K. (2010) op. cit., p. 149.

39. Wessels, Michael (2006) op. cit., p. 257.

40. Gates, Scott and Reich, Simon (2010) op. cit., p. 252.

41. cf. Wessels, Michael (2006) op. cit., p. 238.

42. Becker, Jo (2005) Child Soldiers: Changing a Culture of Violence. Human Rights, 32(1), p. 18.

43. Dallaire, Roméo (2011) op. cit., p. 237.

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Understanding the Recruitment of Child Soldiers in Africa - ACCORD

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While it is estimated that about 40% of all child soldiers globally are active on the African continent, scholars appear to evaluate this number in different ways. Vera Achvarina and Simon Reich draw the conclusion that "[s]ince 1975, Africa has become the epicentre of the problem, providing the largest concentration of both conflicts and child soldiers".

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Child soldiers are constantly being forced into doing tasks they don't want to do.
“Children can become involved in armed conflicts in direct combat roles, but also in supporting roles – being forced or coerced to become cooks, cleaners, porters, intelligence gatherers and spies, wives, sex slaves, or used in acts of terror.”
They are being forced to do things that will traumatize them forever and something they will never be able to forget like, being a sex slave or being used for violence

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Despite being least responsible for the outbreak of violent conflict, children are disproportionately at risk of being affected by the violence and exploitation that occurs in war zones.

While there can appear to be an element of "choice" involved in a child's actions that result in joining an armed group, this choice is almost always a product of coercion, lack of safe alternatives, and out of fear created by the conflict itself.

When trying to end the scourge of child soldiers, it's necessary to work not only with armed forced and groups to end their recruitment practices, but also tackle the root causes and factors driving these push factors

Children can become involved in armed conflicts in direct combat roles, but also in supporting roles - being forced or coerced to become cooks, cleaners, porters, intelligence gatherers and spies, wives, sex slaves, or used in acts of terror. Regardless of their role, the experience for girls and boys is devastating.

As the world looks to end and prevent the use of child soldiers, it is crucial to address all the factors - including those that push children into armed groups.

Strengthening the protective environment for children in fragile and conflict contexts and ensuring adequate resourcing of child reintegration programmes are both key factors to ending the recruitment and use of children. Read our full policy recommendations
1. What is a child soldier?
According to the Paris Principles on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (2007), a child associated with an armed force (State military or security force) or armed group (non-State actors with arms engaged in conflict) refers to any person below 18 years of age who is, or who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including, but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, spies or for sexual purposes.
2. How are child soldiers recruited?
Although child soldiers are often forcefully recruited, in a number of armed conflicts it is common for boys and girls to be "pushed" to join an armed force or group, out of fear, coerced, or when left with few other choices.

While there can appear to be an element of "choice" involved in a child's actions that result in joining an armed group, this choice is almost always a product of coercion, lack of safe alternatives, and out of fear created by the conflict itself.

When trying to end the scourge of child soldiers, it's necessary to work not only with armed forced and groups to end their recruitment practices, but also tackle the root causes and factors driving these push factors.

These factors can include:

Ongoing insecurity and displacement

During times of protracted violence, when families are internally displaced or have to cross borders as refugees, communities are attacked, destroyed or occupied, or as families are internally displaced, their lives become chaotic and disruptive.

This chaos can result in separation between family members, including children from their parents.

The delicate networks that once offered protection and support to families are often irreparably damaged.
Lack of educational and employment opportunities
Where families are displaced by conflict, access to education may be even more limited or non-existent.

We commissioned interviews with children affected by armed conflict, and found that when girls and boys can no longer safely access learning, they can begin to feel there is no hope for a job opportunity when they are older or for the future.
Poverty, lack of basic necessities and economic factors
For child soldiers, personal financial or familial economic situations rank high as a reason to join. When food and other resources become scarce, the alluring promise of barracks that offer a warm bed and readily available food is difficult to resist.

Conflict can destroy local economies and livelihoods. When families suffer loss of income, the pressure to survive can push parents and caregivers to urge their children to join an armed group - as a hope for the child to be fed by the group or earn an income to contribute to the family.

In some contexts, bride price arrangements with armed groups can be a driving factor for girls' recruitment, as the family seeks a source of income to survive.
Poor sense of belonging or lack of familial relationships
In times of uncertainty or displacement due to armed conflict, children often leave school, their homes, villages and even countries. These circumstances can lead to a sense of isolation.

When this happens, children may experience a loss of personal identity because a child's sense of self is directly connected with his or her social surroundings. Joining an armed group and becoming a child soldier provides a sense of identity in that they now belong to a community, despite the level of risk and violence a child often knows they will experience.
Community and family expectations
In situations of armed conflict, particularly at the local level communities can feel the need to protect themselves because of the mere presence of the armed force/group, or because the armed force/group may stand for a belief that is shared and supported by that community.

Community members often feel pressure, or may even want, to play their part. As a result, elders, leaders, families or parents can pressure children to join an armed group - to gain protection, or to support a cause.

As well, other family members may already be involved in a conflict situation and children will recognise this as an opportunity for deeper connection.
3. How many child soldiers are there?
Although there are tens of thousands of boys and girls who have been recruited as child soldiers, statistics are difficult to come by. The exact number is unknown as most data dates back nearly two decades. However, we do know that:

In 2020, the United Nations Secretary General that 7,747 children, some as young as six years old, had been recruited as child soldiers in the previous year.

In this same report, the UN verified that children were recruited and used in 14 armed conflicts that involved the recruitment and use of child soldiers. While the majority of perpetrators were non-State armed groups, 10 States were verified by the UN to still use child soldiers.

4. What are the effects of being a child soldier? 6. What is World Vision doing about child soldiers?
At World Vision, we believe that all children should have the opportunity to experience life in all its fullness.

Our strategies to end the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups are most effective when they are part of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach focused on the protection of the safety and rights of the child.

World Vision programming focuses on prevention by addressing the primary drivers of recruitment and strengthening the protective environment around children.

By doing so, children are less susceptible to not only recruitment, but also other forms of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. We offer reintegration programming to support former child soldiers, in line with our general child protection approach.
Prevention Reintegration

In South Sudan, World Vision supported over 700 girls and boys to reunite with their families and reintegrate into their communities, providing case management services through qualified social workers, tailored counselling and psychosocial support for child survivors of sexual violence, and supporting their re-entry to primary and secondary education. Older children were also supported with vocational training to help open doors for the future.

Central African Republic , World Vision has connected with peer NGOs, academia and the private sector in a ground-breaking partnership to protect children from the worst forms of labour, including child recruitment and use, supporting local communities to advocate and act to create change.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, through the Rebound Project children were supported to reintegrate into community life through the provision of psychosocial support, life skills classes and basic vocational training. At the end of the programme, participants were provided with small grants to start businesses .

How can I help?
Check if your country has signed and ratified the OPAC and the Paris Principles. Urge your government to take actions to implement this important international agreement.

You can also support vulnerable children and their families through our Childhood Rescue initiative .
Find out more about Childhood Rescue here.

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Despite being least responsible for the outbreak of violent conflict, children are disproportionately at risk of being affected by the violence and exploitation that occurs in war zones. While there can appear to be an element of "choice" involved in a child's actions that result in joining an armed group, this choice is almost always a product of coercion, lack of safe alternatives, and out of fear created by the conflict itself.

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Are child soldiers victims or perpetrators?

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Are child soldiers victims or perpetrators?

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Child soldiers experienced traumatizing events that they will never forget. Many past child soldiers have trouble moving on from this awful experience. On TheHour CBC, Ishmael Beah, a past child soldier, was interviewed, and the video said, “A United Nations report says child soldiers are being murdered tortured and sexually abused” People who were child soldiers in the past were tortured, abused, and sexually assaulted, and that is something no one should ever have to go through. Some child soldiers were even murdered.

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Child Soldier Ishmael Beah on TheHOUR CBC

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Child soldiers are victims, they have been through an extensive amount of trauma at or before being an adolescent so they cannot be blamed for the things they do when they are older.

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Child soldiers are being taken advantage of at a young age, tainting them for life.

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Child soldiers are being taken advantage of at a young age, tainting them for life.

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Child soldiers are constantly forced into violence, eventually no longer controlling themselves. When recruited in the army, most of the children would rather not witness and be accountable of massacres, but are given no choice. The article Studies Explore Effects on War on Former Child Soldiers from Science News quotes “They are commonly subject to abuse and most of them witness death, killing, and sexual violence. Many are forced to commit violent acts and some suffer serious long-term psychological consequences.” Child soldiers cannot refuse to participate in massacres and other horrific acts, but have to anyway. They have no intention of being a terrorist, but the military enforces them to.

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Despite international bans, more than 250,000 children fight as soldiers in 86 countries across the globe, almost half of them in Africa. Two new studies explored how these children adjust after they return to their homes. Key to successful adaptation, the studies found, was the characteristics of the communities to which the children returned.

In the first study, researchers found that former child soldiers from Sierra Leone who lived in communities in which they felt accepted were less depressed and more confident, and children who were able to stay in school showed more positive attitudes and behaviors. However, these protective factors didn't fully counterbalance the war-related trauma the children experienced, a finding that has implications for public health.

In the second study, researchers found that the former child soldiers from Uganda who adapted the best were those who returned to less violent homes and communities. These children also had fewer feelings of survivor guilt, less motivation to seek revenge, better socioeconomic situations, and more perceived spiritual support.

The studies appear in a special section on children and disaster in the July/August 2010 issue of the journal Child Development.

The first study took a longitudinal look at adjustment in former child solders involved in Sierra Leone's bloody civil war. Researchers focused on more than 150 children ages 10 to 18, mostly male, following them over two years. The research was carried out by a team based at Harvard University in collaboration with partners at the International Rescue Committee and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

During Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war, thousands of children, some as young as 7, were conscripted into fighting forces and paramilitary groups, and as a result, witnessed executions, death squad killings, torture, detention, rape, and massacres of family members. As the conflict ended, the young people were returned to civilian life. This study, carried out in 2002 and 2004, is the first of its kind to examine how these youths fared.

The researchers found that all of the former child soldiers were exposed to high levels of violence, such as massacres or village raids. More than a third of the girls reported having been raped, and almost a quarter of both girls and boys reported having injured or killed someone.

Children who reported surviving rape or reported hurting or killing others showed higher levels of hostility, while those who survived rape demonstrated higher levels of hostility and anxiety over time compared to those who didn't experience these types of trauma. This suggests that these categories of war trauma are highly toxic to children's psychological and social adjustment. The study also found that children who were abducted at younger ages were more likely to report symptoms of depression over time than those who were older.

"Witnessing general war violence, although very common, didn't have a strong effect on the children's psychological and social adjustment over time," according to Theresa Betancourt, assistant professor of child health and human rights at Harvard School of Public Health, who led the study. "In contrast, the effects of experiencing rape and wounding or killing others were longer lasting."

The authors recommend that particular attention be paid to war-affected children with an accumulation of toxic risk factors and few protective resources. Social and mental health services for war-affected youths are severely limited in Sierra Leone today. Without targeted attention to those showing continued need, the researchers point out, there may well be broader consequences for society as this generation enters adulthood -- including the inability to make the most of current investments in education and development activities.

"We have a long way to go before being able to fully mitigate the effects of particularly toxic stressors in the lives of children affected by war," notes Betancourt.

In the second study on child soldiers in Child Development, researchers from the University of Hamburg in Germany looked at 330 former Ugandan child soldiers ages 11 to 17.

Since the late 1980s in Northern Uganda, an estimated 25,000 children and adolescents have been forcefully recruited into the Lord's Resistance Army. This study was carried out in 2006 at a government boarding school designed to support war-traumatized children and at the same time attempt to identify risk and protective factors to better target supports. On average, the children returned from the armed group after about 30 months; the study was carried out 4 months after they arrived at the school.

According to the study, almost all of the children had been exposed to shooting and beatings by armed forces, more than half had killed someone, and more than a quarter had been raped. The researchers found that a third of the children suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder, more than a third were depressed, and more than half had behavioral and emotional problems. Older children had more mental health problems than younger children, the study found.

The study also found that almost 90 percent of the child soldiers continued to be exposed to violence once they returned home -- including caning, burning, being locked up, and being raped -- and two thirds of them suffered from significant mental health problems. What helped foster the resilience of the one third of children who didn't have significant mental health problems? The researchers discovered it was the qualities of the child and the home environments to which they returned -- such as less exposure to domestic and community violence, better family socioeconomic situations, less motivation to seek revenge, and more perceived spiritual support.

In Uganda, where there is only one psychiatrist for every 1.3 million people, training mental health professionals and creating sustainable intervention programs are urgently needed, according to the researchers. By identifying the factors that contribute to resilience in former child soldiers, this study can help those working with this population.

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children's health; attention deficit disorder; infant's health; child psychology; child development; ptsd; conflict; poverty and learning; educational policy

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Studies explore effects of war on former child soldiers

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Two studies found that how child soldiers adapt upon returning home depends on the communities they return to. The first study, of 150 former child soldiers in Sierra Leone, found that children who lived in communities where they felt accepted were less depressed and more confident.

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Child soldiers are forced to commit awful things when they were recruited even though most of them don't want to. Young soldiers have to prove that they are a part of the group by hurting others and they don't have a choice. The article Child Soldiers on Theirworld says, “They were forced to perform horrific acts, such as killing their own parents as a form of initiation into the armed group.” Children who are in the army have to kill family members when recruiters recruit them even if the children don't want to. They are taught violence at a very young age.

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Children are particularly vulnerable in times of conflict. Here we look at the global issue of the recruitment and use of child soldiers and what is being done to tackle the problem.

What is a child soldier?

Any girl or boy below the age of 18 who is recruited or used by an armed force or armed group, in any capacity.

A child soldier is not just someone who is involved in fighting. They can also be those in other roles such as cooks, porters, messengers, human shields, spies, suicide bombers or those used for sexual exploitation. It includes children recruited and trained for military purposes, but not used in war.

Who recruits child soldiers?

Children are recruited all over the world by state armed forces and armed groups outside government control.

Non-state armed groups are more likely than states to use children in armed conflict. This makes the problem more difficult to tackle as these groups are less visible and harder to negotiate with.

Why do children become child soldiers?

Children become soldiers in different ways. Some are forcibly recruited. They may be abducted, threatened or coerced into joining, while others are enticed with money, drugs or in other ways.

In many cases, children choose to join as a result of economic or social pressures. Others join armed forces to fight for a cause that they or their family support, often with little clear understanding of the implications of their decision.

Being poor, displaced, separated from their families or living in a combat zone can make children particularly vulnerable to being recruited.

Armed groups target children for several reasons. They are easier to manipulate, they don't need much food and they don't have a highly developed sense of danger.

What happens to child soldiers?

Some children will be trained for and participate in armed combat, while others will be given a supporting role. In almost all cases child soldiers will not have access to formal education.

A number of former child combatants from the Central African Republic have reported that they were forced to perform horrific acts, such as killing their own parents as a form of initiation into the armed group. It is thought that this initiation hardens them to brutality and breaks the bonds with their community, making it difficult to return.

How many child soldiers are there?

There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today in at least 20 countries.

About 40% of child soldiers are girls, who are often used as sex slaves and taken as "wives" by male fighters.

Where are child soldiers recruited?

Fifty countries still allow children to be recruited into armed forces, according to Child Soldiers International. Many non-state armed groups also recruit children.

The UN Secretary-General's annual "name and shame" list for 2017 highlighted the armed forces of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for recruiting and using under-18s for armed conflict. But non-state armed groups also recruit children in these and other countries.

The report said there were at least 4000 verified violations by government forces and over 11,500 by non-state armed groups in the 20 country situations it examined.

What's being done to end the practice of recruiting child soldiers?

In the past two decades, thousands of boys and girls have been freed as a result of action plans mandated by the United Nations Security Council.

Launched in March 2014, the campaign Children, Not Soldiers is working to galvanise support to end and prevent recruitment of children by national security forces in conflict. It is particularly focused on Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen, all of which have signed UN Action Plans.

The UN Secretary-General's 2017 report on children and armed conflict said there had been several positive moves. That included armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Philippines being delisted and the signing of a peace agreement in Colombia that included a special agreement on the release and reintegration of children.

Efforts are being made to support the release of children in these countries to civilian life and to help reintegrate them, as well as plans to prevent future recruitment of children.

Measures are being taken around the world to prevent children becoming soldiers in the future. It is important to establish and enforce 18 as the minimum age for recruitment.

The majority of states have already done this and many non-state groups have done so too. International political efforts continue to encourage all groups to do likewise.

How can child soldiers be helped?

Many child soldiers end up desensitised to violence, which can psychologically damage them. Many are traumatised by what they have been forced to do or have witnessed. Children need to undergo reintegration programmes to help them return to civilian life.

Girls face the additional difficulty of social stigma attached to the belief they have been engaged in sexual activity.

Most child soldiers have missed out on school and need additional education in order to feed themselves and make a more stable life for themselves.

There are various organisations such as War Child and Child Soldiers International who are dedicated to tackling the problem through campaigning and raising awareness, as well as rescuing and rehabilitating child soldiers.

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Children are particularly vulnerable in times of conflict. Here we look at the global issue of the recruitment and use of child soldiers and what is being done to tackle the problem. Any girl or boy below the age of 18 who is recruited or used by an armed force or armed group, in any capacity.

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Child soldiers experience extensive emotional and physical trauma.            

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Child soldiers experience extensive emotional and physical trauma.            

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“these boys and girls suffer extensive forms of exploitation and abuse that are not fully captured by that term.”
"psychological distress can make it difficult for children to process and verbalize their experiences, especially when they fear stigma or how people will react. " The trauma these children have to endure cant even be expressed in words. They are abused physically and mentally and even if they are saved they have extensive forms of mental illnesses such as PTSD, etc.

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Peter's* story. This former child soldier, was only 10 years old when he was forcibly recruited, armed and trained to kill by South Sudanese fighters - until he escaped two years later. Thanks to you, we're helping Peter recover and return to learning. Uganda. *Name changed for child's protection.

There are six UN-verified "grave violations" of children's rights in conflict. Being recruited and used as a child soldier is one of them.[i]
Save the Children's Stop the War on Children report, the third in our global series, reveals shocking trends in the threats to innocent children now living and suffering in the world's war zones:

149 million children - double the number of all children in the U.S.[ii] - live in high-intensity conflict zones, areas experiencing thousands of battle-related deaths each year.

Since 2010, there's been a 34% rise in the number of children living in conflict-affected areas, plus a staggering 170% rise in the number of reported grave violations committed against children in conflict.

This includes more child soldiers, as well as those more likely to be killed or maimed, abducted, sexually abused, see their schools or hospitals attacked, or have aid denied to them.

Children in conflict are more at risk of harm now than at any time in recorded history.

Child soldiers, boys and girls as young as 8 years old, are being recruited and used not only for fighting, but for sexual exploitation and more in conflicts raging across the globe. This isn't just a grave violation of children's fundamental human rights - it represents the tragic end of childhood. The world's children deserve so much better. We must stop the war on children.

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Peter's* story. This former child soldier, was only 10 years old when he was forcibly recruited, armed and trained to kill by South Sudanese fighters - until he escaped two years later. Thanks to you, we're helping Peter recover and return to learning. Uganda. *Name changed for child's protection.

# data[].attributes.headline
Child‌ ‌soldiers‌ ‌are‌ ‌victims‌ ‌because‌ ‌they‌ ‌were‌ ‌forced‌ ‌to‌ ‌act‌ ‌in‌ ‌unwanted ways‌ ‌that‌ ‌can traumatize‌ ‌‌and‌ ‌impact‌ ‌their‌‌ ‌future.

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Child‌ ‌soldiers‌ ‌are‌ ‌victims‌ ‌because‌ ‌they‌ ‌were‌ ‌forced‌ ‌to‌ ‌act‌ ‌in‌ ‌unwanted ways‌ ‌that‌ ‌can traumatize‌ ‌‌and‌ ‌impact‌ ‌their‌‌ ‌future.

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Child soldiers are victims, they have been taken from there families, brainwashed and forced to do things that will give them trauma for the rest of their lives.

# data[].attributes.subject
Child soldiers are victims, they have been taken from there families, brainwashed and forced to do things that will give them trauma for the rest of their lives.