![]() Who then is a child soldier? Based on the Cape Town principles (1997), child soldiers are generally defined as "any person under eighteen years of age who is a member of or attached to the armed political forces or an armed political group, whether or not there is an armed conflict." Interestingly therefore, the concept of child soldier or child combatant does not exist in international law. As the law stands, once a minor wields a weapon, he or she is considered a legitimate target. Child Soldiers: New Agents of Warfareĭefinitional complexity with regard to 'child soldiers' stems from the fact that while international law clearly defines who is a child, as well as a combatant, there is no category for someone who is both a child and a combatant. Amidst this range of concerns, it is the issue of child soldiers which has in recent times evoked much international attention, largely because of its implications in doctrinal and military-strategic terms. ![]() It also subsumes broader issues of displacement, human security and non-combatant immunity. The children and armed conflict agenda is a broad canvas encompassing several themes such as education in emergencies, small arms, and land mines. Since then many non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies and governments have addressed the severity of abuses of children in wars more proactively, and have advocated better protection of their rights and security. The international community first began a co-ordinated effort to confront the complexities of the relationship between war and children with Graça Machel's groundbreaking 1996 United Nations study entitled The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. ![]()
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