Child Soldiers in Africa

Introduction

Introduction Tlle issue o f children's participatiorl in arrrletl political corlflict has captured the attention o f the ~vorld tlurirlg the past ten or fifteen years. Irrlages o f boys carrying guns and arnrnunition flash across television screens and appear o n the front pages o f nelvspapers. Less often but equally disturbingly stories o f girls pressetl into the service o f militias surface in the rnedia. An unprecetlentetl rlurnber o f clliltlrerl have beer1 drawn into active participation in warfare. Marly cllildrerl are coerced into fighting; others are pushed into it by poverty and crises in their cornrnunities ; sorrle may be seducetl by pronlises o f glory or exciternent. Clliltlrerl as young as eight or ten are trarlsforrrled into lnerciless killers, colnrrlittirlg the lnost llorrendous atrocities with apparent irltliffererlce or even pride. Children's irn.olrelllent in arlned conflict is not a recent pllenolnenon . In the past, young people have bee11 at the forefront o f political corlflict in many parts o f the ~vorltl, ever1 when it has turned violerlt. Today ho~verer, the probleln has grown to such nlagnitude that it has attracted public notice. FVllat is new is not just the risibility o f civil wars but also that clliltlrerl are rrlore tleeply irn.olret1; in sorrle places, they forrrl a substantial proportion o f combatants. Xrlalysts o f war have pointed out that lnost corlternporary civil wars represent a "total societal crisis." Social order is alrrlost entirely disrupted, and deferlseless civilians , especially n-onlen,chiltlren, ant1 the elderly are particularly vulrlerable .' Reports o f cllildrerl taking hurnan lives are increasingly infiltrating public awareness, not only frorrl corlflict zones but also frorrl societies in peacetirne. Almost any nelvspaper or nightly news show in the crlited States includes a litany o f youthful rictinls ant1 perpetrators o f inner-city violence;sorrle cities keep a running tally o f the death toll. Isolated cases that occur in white, rnitldle-class settings seerrl n o r e sllockirlg, such as the Columbine scllool sllootirlgs or the ~nurder o f a Dartlnouth college 2 Introduction couple by two \%rlnollt teenagers. Even younger clliltlrell car1 conllnit rnurtler: for example, three-year-old James Bulges was killed by two tenyear -oltls ill the crlitetl Kingdoln. Irlciderlts of cllildren killing clliltlrerl are troubling. Tlle systematic, organizetl use of cllildren to wage war is even rrlore appalling. Cllildrerl get caught up ill arrrletl conflict in a whole host of ways. Often , those who nlallage to avoid becorrling soldiers are nlairrletl or killed in attacks on civilian areas. Cllildrerl are separated fronl their parents, orphaned, and uprooted fronl their collllllullities. Tlle tlisplacetl rnay have to seek refuge in otller territories. Those cllildren who relnairl in war zones are subjected to various forlns of violence and exploitatioll. Sorrle are irjuretl by lalltlrrlilles while playing or ~vorliillg. Clliltlrell are turned into spies or gullrullllers, or they work as guards, cooks, cleaners , and servants in rnilitary camps. Particularly tlanlagirlg for future generations is the irrlpact of war on girls. Disadvantagetl even ill peacetime , girls experience sexual abuse, rape, enslavement, ant1 other tribulatiorls during war. Cllildrerl ~vitllessterrible atrocities and suffer fronl traurna. Clliltlrell are tleprivetl of education and basic healthcare. T'i7ars and otller forlns of arrrletl corlflict have profound and lasting effects on yo1~1g people. These de\-elopnlellts have not gone ulllloticetl. In recent years, the irnpact of arlnetl corlflict on cllildrell has nlo\-etlto the forefront of political , humanitarian, ant1 acadelnic agentlas. Tlle irlternatiorlal coinrrlullity has taken several significant steps to atldress the problern. 1 1 1 1990, the cllited Nations establislled the Conr-ention on the Rights of the Child, which contains irrlportarlt pro\-isionsfor cllildren affectetl by arlned conflict. In 1994, the UN General Xsselnbly corrlnlissiorled the blachel study on the irrlpact of arlnetl corlflict on cllildrell. 1 1 1 1996, Graqa hlachel preserltetl a ground-brealiillg report ~vhich lnade specific recorrllllelltlatior~s for action. Based on hlachel's recorrllllelltlatior~s, the General Xssernbly created the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Cllildrerl arltl Xrrrled Conflict ill 1997. This office was colllrrlissiolletl to raise awareness ant1 prorrlote the collectiorl of inforrrlatiorl about the plight of cllildren affectetl by arlned corlflict as well as to foster irlternatiorlal cooperation to promote respect for chiltlren's rights arrlitl such conflicts. Many humanitarian orgallizatiolls ha\-elaunched specific progralns to atltlress the issue of clliltlrell affected by arlnetl corlflict and to prolnote protection and support. The issue became a topic of interest...