The Problem of Child Soldiers in Africa & International Conventions against the Child Soldiers Phenomena

Abstract

Child soldiers are often victims of grave human rights abuses, yet, in some cases, they also participate actively in inflicting violence upon other persons. Nonetheless, the international discourse on child soldiers often tends to ignore the latter dimension of children’s involvement in armed conflict and instead focuses exclusively on their role as victims. The existence of child soldiers is not a new problem, but international public opinion (media, NGOs, public figures etc.) have dealt with this problem, for the most part, only after the Cold War and mostly in Western societies. Until now, the typical child soldier profile appeared, in popular awareness, in connection with African countries, however, “According to expert notions, around three hundred thousand children are taking part in more than 30 conflicts around the world”. While it might seem as though the discourse is hence beneficial for child soldiers as it protects them from blame and responsibility, it is important to realize that the so-called passive victim narrative entails various adverse consequences, which can hinder the successful reintegration of child soldiers into their families, communities, and societies. (Elliott, 1999) This research project studies the phenomenon of child soldiers with a view of understanding the emergence of this phenomenon, the actors committing the existence of child soldiers, and solutions towards ending the phenomenon. Many treaties have been signed and ratified by states with regards to children’s rights. There are international treaties and regional treaties but children’s rights are still violated. The number of children participating in armed conflict is on the increase in the world. This research seeks to understand why this phenomenon still goes on and examines the international legal standards in place, the competence of the standards and possible remedies to improve the situation of child soldiers. Three main issues are discussed in the research paper. The issue of age is very important in relation to when persons can take part in armed conflict. The research argues that a universally acknowledged age should be used to describe the child. The second issue is the response of the international community towards the legal standards. It has been noted that people violate set standards because they can. This research attempts to assess the truth behind the behavior of the international community towards the phenomenon of child soldiers. (Harvey, 2000)