Children at War: The World We Do Not Want to Live In
Thousands of children have their childhood stolen as they are forced to participate in armed conflicts. Whether as combatants, spies, sexual slaves or in other roles within armed groups, they witness killings and are victims of torture, ill-treatment and rape. The physical and psychological consequences they face are devastating.
According to the United Nations report titled “25 Years of Children and Armed Conflict: Taking Action to Protect Children in War”, between 2005 and 2020, more than 93,000 children were recruited and used in armed conflict. During that period, conflict parties have raped, forcibly married, sexually exploited and committed other serious forms of sexual violence against at least 14,200 children. In 2021, sexual violence and child abductions in conflict zones increased by 20%, according to the UN’s annual report on Children and Armed Conflict.
For this reason, on 12 February, the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers, it is crucial to bring attention to this reality, raise awareness and promote concrete actions to eradicate this dehumanising practice.
The term “child soldier” is defined in the Cape Town Principles (1997) as 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, including but not limited to cooks, porters, messengers and anyone accompanying such groups, other than family members. The definition includes girls recruited for sexual purposes and for forced marriage. It does not, therefore, only refer to a child who is carrying or has carried arms.
To combat the recruitment of children in armed conflict, an international legal framework has been developed:
- Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions (1977): Set the minimum age for recruitment and participation in hostilities at 15 years.
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989): Includes the set of fundamental rights of children. Article 38 mandates that States shall refrain from recruiting any person who has not attained the age of 15 years into their armed forces. In recruiting among those persons who have attained the age of 15 years but who have not attained the age of 18 years, States Parties shall endeavour to give priority to those who are oldest.
- Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998): Conscripting or enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into the national armed forces is a war crime.
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (2002): Legally binding for signatory States, it raises the minimum age for participation in hostilities to 18 and prohibits the forced recruitment of children.
- UN Security Council Resolutions 1539 (2004) and 1612 (2005): Establish mechanisms for monitoring, reporting, and ensuring accountability for grave violations of children’s rights in armed conflict.
- Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Commits States to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, including the recruitment and use of child soldiers, by 2025.
It should also be noted that the situation for girls is particularly alarming. In addition to being recruited for combat, many are subjected to sexual slavery, forced marriages, and degrading treatment. It is estimated that 40% of child soldiers are girls. In Haiti, for example, the number of reported cases of sexual violence against children increased by 1,000% in 2024, according to UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
These assaults expose girls to forced pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and profound psychological trauma. When released, they often face rejection by their families and communities, compounding their suffering.
Considering this reality, prevention and reintegration strategies are essential. Various organisations work to release and rehabilitate child soldiers. UNICEF, for instance, leads programmes providing psychological support, education, and training to facilitate their reintegration into society. In Colombia, together with the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare, they have supported more than 2,500 demobilised minors with healthcare, education, and legal assistance.
However, the main responsibility lies with states, which must comply with the obligations arising from the legal framework, ensure the implementation of laws that criminalise the recruitment of minors and strengthen physical and psychosocial rehabilitation and reintegration activities for child victims of armed conflict.
Civil society also has a crucial role to play and must advocate for the following:
- The ratification and effective implementation of the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.
- Legislative reforms that criminalise the recruitment and exploitation of children in armed conflict.
- The allocation of resources for the care, reparation and reintegration of affected children.
In conclusion, both states and armed groups must be held accountable for the use of children in hostilities. It is time to change the narrative, break away from this intolerable reality, and demand the definitive end of the recruitment and exploitation of girls and boys in armed conflicts.
Mariana Larrosa Fernández, collaborator of FIBGAR
