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Investigators have pointed to an alarming increase in the use of child soldiers in conflicts around the world. Children, as young as eight years old, often coming from impoverished or politically unstable communities, are forcibly recruited into armed groups in exchange for promises of protection or economic opportunity.
The impacts of this exploitation are devastating. Beyond facing threats to their lives, exposure to extreme violence has a direct correlation with long-term psychological trauma. In this gallery, learn more about the children caught at the cross fire. Click on for more.
According to the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 337 million children around the world live within a 30-mile (50-km) radius of an ongoing conflict.
While illegal under international law, countless children are recruited and used in armed conflicts. According to UNICEF, over 250,000 children are associated with armed forces around the world.
The recruitment and use of child soldiers is a global issue, but countries in the regions of West and Central Africa hold the highest percentages of verified child soldiers. These regions are considered the epicenter of child soldier recruitment, according to a 2021 UN report.
Some children are recruited due to impoverishment, desperate to help their families in severe economic situations. Others are kidnapped or threatened by militant groups, forced to participate in conflict to survive or to protect their families.
Children are recruited for a variety of reasons. While they are easier to manipulate and intimidate, they are also less likely to raise suspicion, as children are often perceived as less threatening and are more likely to successfully avoid detection.
While the term "soldier" may bring up images of combatants, children are abused in a variety of ways during conflict. They can be used as messengers, informants, human shields, or even as vessels for suicide attacks.
Young girls face higher rates of gender-based violence and exploitation, at times forced into child marriage. Some are also forced to bear children at a very young age.
Child soldiers are largely recruited from places where there are severe deficiencies in access to basic systems, such as education, health care, and other social institutions. In some contexts, schools can be direct targets of armed groups’ operations.
Reports show that in addition to living in impoverished conditions, child soldiers often face higher rates of domestic and community violence prior to recruitment. These conditions may also draw children into combat, seeking safety and protection from external actors.
Lack of community security is also a major risk factor for the recruitment of child soldiers, as they are unable to seek assistance elsewhere.
Since the start of the country’s civil war, governmental and armed groups in South Sudan are reported to have recruited over 19,000 child soldiers. In addition to their roles in combat, they are also used as security support.
The UN has accused Al-Shabab, a group linked with the Islamic State group, of kidnapping and using children as soldiers in Mozambique. Child soldiers have been seen carrying assault rifles and ammunition belts.
In Haiti, where a growing humanitarian crisis drives mass hunger and poverty, human rights groups have reported an increased recruitment of children as a key strategy for armed groups.
Both the Syrian government and armed groups have recruited and used child soldiers in direct combat and in supporting roles. Children as young as six years old have been implicated in participating in the civil war.
According to Human Rights Watch, in 2001 Myanmar was believed to have more child soldiers than any other place in the world, where 70,000 children were estimated to take part in the government’s army. Recruiting children as young as 11, child soldiers faced frequent abuse and violence by commanders, and even torture if they tried to escape.
While based primarily in northeastern Nigeria, Boko Haram, a group affiliated with the Islamic State group, has expanded operations to neighboring countries, such as Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. The group is notorious for using children, who are subjected to indoctrination and exploitation, in their attacks and operations.
In Afghanistan, more than 5,000 child soldiers have been recruited and used by the Taliban, often serving in direct combat roles. Many children are said to have been recruited from religious schools, where they are offered protection in exchange for their service.
The Houthis in Yemen are reported to have recruited children as young as 13. According to Yemeni civil society organizations, over 10,000 children have been recruited to join the fighting since 2014. And despite the fact that in 2022 the Houthis signed a UN action plan that included the end of child soldier recruitment and use, numbers continue to increase.
Recent reports suggest that the worsening war between Ukraine and Russia has led to children being drawn into combat roles, particularly in Eastern Ukraine, where fighting has left children in the crossfire.
Although in the past the Rwandan government enacted several initiatives to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers, renewed reports in 2023 document the use of child soldiers in direct combat.
What happens to former child soldiers? Many face permanent emotional, physical, and developmental trauma, without access to rehabilitation programs or other therapeutic models that may help them deal with the scars of their childhood.
Reintegration into communities can be very challenging, with many former child soldiers reporting facing stigmatization and rejection, both for themselves and their families. Others face detainment and arrest due to their association with armed groups.
In 2017 alone, over 10,000 children were released from armed groups in countries like Colombia, Nigeria, and South Sudan, among many others. Yet many faced a lack of physical and mental health support to overcome their experiences in conflict.
Human rights organizations argue that reintegration processes should necessarily include a provision of education and vocational training to both minimize re-recruitment and to provide former child soldiers with options pertaining to their future.
The question of accountability for former child soldiers is complex and multifaceted, as each case is determined individually. Such complexities emerged in light of the 2021 trial of Dominic Ongwen, a Ugandan former child-soldier-turned-commander.
Dominic Ongwen, who was abducted by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) at nine years old, marked the first time a former child soldier was tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Pictured is Kony, who is still at large for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) noted that Ongwen climbed the ranks and became a leading figure of the LRA, ordering several massacres, kidnappings, and recruitment of child soldiers. Prosecutors argued that Ongwen was a former victim turned perpetrator.
Human Rights Watch argues that while Ongwen was a child abductee and a victim, the violence he experienced as a child should not be used to negate responsibility for his actions as an adult.
Ongwen’s case, like all cases of violence against children, highlights the importance of prevention, but it also points to the importance of sound rehabilitation and reintegration efforts to ensure that child soldiers do not become adult perpetrators.
Sources: (Save the Children) (United Nations) (Reuters) (AP) (Human Rights Watch) (Georgetown Journal of International Affairs) (Stimson Center) (Ford Institute for Human Security)
See also: What happened to these war criminals?
Over 250,000 children are used as soldiers in wars throughout the world
How the recruitment of children is fueling wars and destroying futures worldwide
LIFESTYLE Human rights violations
Investigators have pointed to an alarming increase in the use of child soldiers in conflicts around the world. Children, as young as eight years old, often coming from impoverished or politically unstable communities, are forcibly recruited into armed groups in exchange for promises of protection or economic opportunity.
The impacts of this exploitation are devastating. Beyond facing threats to their lives, exposure to extreme violence has a direct correlation with long-term psychological trauma. In this gallery, learn more about the children caught at the cross fire. Click on for more.