NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: This song by Emmanuel Jal is from his 2008 album Warchild. Using a child as a soldier is a war crime. Read more.
Recruiting and using children under the age of 15 as soldiers is prohibited under international humanitarian law - treaty and custom - and is defined as a war crime by the International Criminal Court.
Furthermore, under the Rome Statue, conscripting or enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into national armed forces or groups or using them to participate actively in hostilities is considered a war crime.
There are many ways for children to become associated with armed forces and groups. Some children are abducted and beaten into submission, others join military groups to escape poverty, to defend their communities, out of a feeling of revenge or for other reasons.
Combat and support roles
In many conflicts children take direct part in combat. However, their role is not limited to fighting. Many girls and boys are also used in support functions that also entail great risk and hardship.
Their tasks can vary, from combatants to cooks, spies, messengers and even sex slaves. Moreover, the use of children for acts of terror, including as suicide bombers, has emerged as a phenomenon of modern warfare. Each year, the UN receives reports of children as young as 8 or 9 years old associated with armed groups.
No matter their role, child associated with parties to conflict 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.
Girls are also recruited and used by armed forces and groups. They have vulnerabilities unique to their gender and place in society and suffer specific consequences including, but not limited to, rape and sexual violence, pregnancy and pregnancy-related complications, stigma and rejection by families and communities.
“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. It does not only refer to a child who is taking or has taken a direct part in hostilities. (Source: Paris Principles on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict 2007)
Regardless of how children are recruited and of their roles, child soldiers are victims, whose participation in conflict bears serious implications for their physical and emotional well-being. 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. The reintegration of these children into civilian life is an essential part of the work to help child soldiers rebuild their lives.
(Source: https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/six-grave-violations/child-soldiers/)
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.
(Source: https://www.warchild.org.uk/news/effects-being-child-soldier-can-last-lifetime)
View video at YouTube: https://youtu.be/ekigsvTDJXo
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