SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN:
A ‘child soldier’ is any person under 18 years of age
who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed
force or armed group in any capacity.Some boys
and girls might have been abducted or forcibly re-
cruited; others have been driven to join by poverty,
abuse and discrimination, societal or peer pressure,
or to seek revenge for violence against them or their
families.
FACTS ABOUT CHILD SOLDIERS:
• latest estimates suggest that more than 250,000
children are currently serving as child soldiers.
• in Colombia, an estimated 14,000 girls
were used as child soldiers2 by illegal armed
groups.
• in Somalia, an estimated 200,000 children have
carried a gun or been involved with a militia since
the 1991 collapse of central government.
• in Sudan, in March 2004, an estimated 17,000
children were associated with armed forces and
groups.
PREVENTING MEASURES:
COMMITMENT OF GOVERNMENT:
Advocacy is required on all levels, including promo-
tion of ratification of the optional Protocol on the
involvement of children in armed conflict, reform
of national laws and awareness-raising campaigns.
in times of armed conflict, effective control often
lies with non-State entities or armed groups, and it
is essential that they respect standards of interna-
tional law in the same way as governmental actors,
including the ban of recruitment and use of children
in hostilities. Several provisions of international law mediation
can be essential for family reunification
and the reintegration process.
RESPONSIBILITY OF FAMILY:
capacities must be built to help families and
communities ensure that their children do not become
involved with armed forces during conflict. Family
reunification at the earliest opportunity is a key
factor for social reintegration. Follow-up care for
demobilized children, focusing on long-term social
reintegration for all war-affected children in a com-
munity and embracing the community rather than
the child in isolation, is essential.
ATTITUDES,CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES:
When these encourage or tolerate the involvement
of children in conflict, changes are needed to pre-
vent recruitment and re-recruitment of children,
and to support their return to their families and
communities.
MONITORING,REPORTING AND OVERSIGHT:
Violations of the laws of war need to be reported,
so that perpetrators can be held accountable
before tribunals or through other truth and recon-
ciliation mechanisms. Adequate monitoring will
provide better data on the numbers of child sol-
diers and the conditions they are living in
LEGISLATION AND ENFORCEMENT:
international treaties must be respected, imple-
mented and enforced by governmental and non-
governmental actors involved in armed conflict.
