Child Soldiers – A Worldwide PhenomenonDone By:Alain Chen 4P2Bradford Loh 4P2Caleb Look 4P2

Content•Introduction

▫Video▫Definition of child soldiers▫Causes▫Impacts▫Solutions

•Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)▫Which articles have been violated

Content•Case Studies

▫First-world countries1. Singapore2. United States of America

▫Third-world countries1. Myanmar2. Sierra Leone

• Voices of child soldiers

Video •http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPKzP

6TQ0WI&feature=related •http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIoJrrK

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Definition of child soldiers (Paris Principles 2007)• A child associated with an armed force or armed

group (child soldier) refers to any person below 18 years of age who is, or who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, spies or for sexual purposes.

• It does not only refer to a child who is taking, or has taken, a direct part in hostilities.

(Source: Paris Principles and guidelines on children associated with armed forces or armed groups, UNICEF, February 2007.)

Causes

War •War is such an enormous force of

destruction and normality in many third world countries that children grow up with the belief that it is a part of everyday life.

•The omnipresence of war in a child’s life creates a constant need for self-protection through violence.

• Joining the army is often seen by the children as the best means of survival.

Poverty•Children afflicted with poverty are often

driven by desperation to join the army, as the army presents the prospect of income and support

•A study of three hundred demobilized child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo found that 61 percent had a family with no income, and more than half had at least 6 siblings. 

Family and Friends•For some children, joining the army is

perceived as normal and acceptable. This is because when their family members and friends are in the army, joining the army too would seem natural.

•On the other hand, children without a family or close friends are especially vulnerable to recruitment into the army because of their fragile emotional and mental state.

Impacts

Physical•It is estimated that in the past 20 years, 2

million children have died as a direct result of war, while over 6 million have been severely injured.

Physical•Diseases

▫Many child soldiers die from diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis, malaria, measles and several acute respiratory infections

▫During the climax of Somalia’s civil war, measles claimed the lives of over half the child soldiers in the country.

Physical•Malnutrition

▫Many child soldiers died from malnutrition which occurs due to the shortage of food supplies.

▫The armed combatants often take whatever they want from the child soldiers, including essential food supplies.

▫Consequently, many child soldiers face the prospect of starving to death.

Physical•Sexually transmitted diseases

▫Many younger boys and nearly all girls who become child soldiers are subject to rape, sexual harassment, and prostitution.

▫This leads to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, AIDS, and others.

Psychological •Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

▫Most common and prominent psychological impact on a child soldier

▫According to the National Institute of Mental Health, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or threatened to occur.

Psychological •Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

▫The perennial exposure to violence and terror often leads to the development of PTSD in child soldiers

▫Child soldiers with PTSD may experience flashbacks to their traumatic moments in addition to nightmares and sleep loss.

Psychological •Adjustment Disorder

▫Adjustment disorder occurs in many child soldiers as a result of the sudden change of lifestyle from that of a civilian to that of a soldier.

Psychological •Personality Disorder

▫Personality disorder occurs as a result of exposure to violence, impressed ideologies, and forced acceptance of a perverse code of morals.

▫Child soldiers may lose the ability to empathize, and chronically partake in violent, aggressive, or manipulative actions,

Psychological •Eating Disorder

▫Many child soldiers participate in conflicts in impoverished nations where food is scarce, and hence they have to adapt to a constant starving state.

▫In a survey of 300 former child soldiers, 27% said that they were forced to drink their own urine.

Psychological •Eating Disorder

▫When the child soldiers are reintegrated into society and have sufficient food to eat, many of them suffer from eating disorders

▫Some have been so affected by the forced starvation they had to go through that they refuse to eat any more than a bare minimum required to stay alive. (anorexia)

▫Others are so ecstatic at the ability to eat freely that they eat far too much. (binging)

Solutions

Solutions•United Nations

▫The UN Security council has issued a series of resolutions condemning the use of child soldiers and proposing measures to stop child recruitment. dialogue with parties aimed at the immediate

demobilization of children targeted measures to sanction those who

continue to recruit and use child soldiers.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child•Adopted in 1989•Aims to protect the rights of children•Most widely ratified human rights treaty

for children in history•Encompasses many aspects including civil

rights and freedoms, family environment, basic health and welfare, education, leisure and cultural activities and special protection measures for children.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)•Article 38 proclaims :

▫“State parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons who have not attained the age of 15 years do not take a direct part in hostilities.”

▫“However, minors who are over the age of 15 but still remain under the age of 18 are still voluntarily able to take part in combat as soldiers.”

Effectiveness of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child•Effective:•The Convention has enhanced children’s

rights in some countries that have ratified it.

•For example, Human Rights Watch reports that many countries have used the Convention as a basis for enhancing existing legislation and improving children’s rights.

Effectiveness of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child•Effective:•A2004 UNICEF review found that more

than half of the countries studied had incorporated Convention provisions into their domestic laws, and nearly one-third of the countries had incorporated provisions into their national constitutions.

•UNICEF also reports that the Convention played a role in establishing over 60 independent human rights institutions for children in 38 countries.

Effectiveness of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child•Not effective:•Countries, including Sudan, Democratic

Republic of the Congo, and China continue to violate the rights of children.

Effectiveness of the United Convention on the Rights of the Child•Not effective:•Declarations that some countries attached

to the Convention conflict with the purpose of the treaty to protect children’s rights , hence possibly undermining its intent and effectiveness.

•For example, a number of Islamic countries attached reservations stating that the Convention would not apply to provisions that they deem incompatible with Islamic Shari’a law or values.

Effectiveness of the United Convention on the Rights of the Child•Ultimately, while some progress has been

made, many countries still have a long way to go in effectively implementing the Convention.

• The 2004 UNICEF review found that while high-level political commitment to the Convention is essential to ensure its success, social change will only occur when high-level commitment is matched by “effective law enforcement, allocation of adequate resources and the engagement of all levels of society.”

Solutions•Amnesty International

▫As a member of the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, Amnesty International seeks to end the recruitment of children into armed forces and to reintegrate former child soldiers back into civilian life.

Solutions•The International Criminal Court (ICC)

▫Established in 1998▫Provides for the prosecution of those found

guilty of recruiting children under the age of 15 for use in hostilities.

▫ In 2004 the ICC announced that it was initiating investigations into crimes committed in the course of armed conflict in Northern Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where thousands of child soldiers are still being used.

Solutions•The International Criminal Court (ICC)

▫The ICC's first prosecution came in 2006 - Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, the leader of a military group based in Congo.

▫He was charged with forcibly recruiting boys and girls under the age of 15 to fight with his militia from July 2002 to the end of 2003.

▫He was detained by the ICC for a period of time, but was released in July 2010 due to a lack of evidence.

UDHRWhich articles were violated?

UDHR•The points stated below will be further

emphasized in our case studies, which will be shown later on (Bear with us for now)

UDHR•Article 3•Everyone has the right to life, liberty

and security of person.

•By forcing these children to go to war or take part in these dangerous military activities, we are endangering their lives

UDHR•Article 5•No one shall be subjected to torture

or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of punishment.

•Some of the children are tortured, beat, and threatened in the army or to join the army

•Some countries still threat their soldiers like dogs and sacrificial material

UDHR• Article 6• Everyone has the right to

recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

• Some countries still threat their soldiers like dogs and sacrificial material

• Some countries still have unreasonable punishment for their soldiers E.g. Caning, back flogging, butt-punching etc

UDHR•Article 26•Everyone has the right to education.

(Summarized Version)

•Many of the children are being driven from schooling where children should be (and many want to be there)

Case Studies: First-World CountriesIsraelUnited States of America

Case Studies: First-World CountriesIsraelUnited States of America

Israel•The minimum age of conscription was 18•Men were expected to serve for 36

months and women for 24 months•Military training was widespread for

under-18s•Recruited as volunteers in the police-

affiliated civil guard

Israel•Children were assessed and interviewed

for service in the armed forces from the age of 16 and a half, and at 17 were issued formal call-up notices

Israel•Military training and schools•Israeli children received familiarization

and military training well below the age of recruitment.

•Most schools had uniformed teacher-soldiers and youth guides on their staff who provided a link between the education system and the military establishment.

Israel•Official pre-recruitment activities started

at the age of 15–16 (tenth grade).•By the 11th–12th grade (age 16 up)

students were reportedly “saturated with the idea of enlistment” through a range of promotional events and material. – Propaganda

Israel•Gadna, or youth battalions, ran a one-

week military training program on an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base as part of the curriculum for 16–17-year-olds

Israel•The armed forces also directly

administered schools, including the Beit Biram Military Boarding School in Haifa, which accepted students from age 14.

•Pupils were called cadets and wore military uniforms.

Israel•Conflict in Israel that resulted in the child

soldier’s death•The Palestinian intifada (uprising) against

Israeli occupation continued into 2007. Nearly 6,000 people had been killed during the conflict, including 129 Israeli children killed by Palestinian forces and 889 Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces

Israel•Conflict in Israel that resulted in the child

soldier’s death•In July 2006 Israel launched an intensive

month-long military campaign in Lebanon after the abduction of two of its soldiers. The July 2006 conflict resulted in the deaths of seven Israeli and nearly 400 Lebanese children

Israel•A number of voluntary summer and extra-

curricular courses involving military training were available for Israeli and foreign children from the age of 14–15. These included courses run directly by the Israel Defence Force(IDF) and those run by other organizations, such as the scouts

•Trials to serve in elite units of the military began from the age of 17

Israel•In 2006 there was controversy when 17-

year-old Itai Sharon died of heatstroke during Israeli Air Force (IAF) trials

•The subsequent internal inquiry identified a series of failures in the IAF’s treatment of Sharon

•Also in 2006, 17-year old Aharon Tzarfati died accidentally during physical evaluations for a naval commando program. He was among two hundred 17–18-year-olds taking part

Case Studies: First-World CountriesIsraelUnited States of America

USA•They are now playing a leading role in

attempting to stop or reduce the widespread of child soldiers

•The total number of 17-year-olds enlisting in the armed services dropped by nearly 50 per cent between 2002 and 2005

•The USA detained under-18s suspected of participating in armed activities in Afghanistan and Iraq

USA•The USA currently maintained an all-

volunteer military force, and accepted both male and female recruits from the age of 17 (US Code, Title 10 Section 505(a))

• Parental consent was required for under-18s

USA•In the year ending 30 September 2005,

13,793 recruits aged 17 joined the US armed forces – 6,780 into the active armed forces (5,387 boys and 1,393 girls), representing 4.46 per cent of all new active duty recruits, and 7,013 into the reserve forces (5,013 boys and 2,000 girls), representing 15.3 per cent of the total reserves

USA•The US armed forces spent approximately

US$1.5 billion on recruiting each year•All-volunteer military force – quality over

quantity•Wanted willing & motivated

recruits/soldiers to be joining the military instead of unwilling ones

•Use of propaganda in this area

USA•In 2006, 486,594 high-school students

were enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), an elective program for students from the age of 14, with more than 3,300 units based in secondary-schools across the country

USA•Courses were taught by retired military

personnel, and included military drills with both real and dummy firearms

•Total enrolment in the program grew by 8 per cent between 2001 and 2006, fuelled by a 57 per cent increase in federal funding for the program

•An estimated 40 per cent of students who graduated from high school with two or more years in the JROTC eventually enlisted in the military

USA•Nearly all 17-year-olds who enlisted in the

US military were still attending school, and were placed in a delayed entry program (the Future Soldiers Training Program) until they had finished their secondary education

•Approximately 7,500 were still 17 when they began their basic training program

Case Studies: Third-World CountriesMyanmarSierra Leone

Case Studies: Third-World CountriesMyanmarSierra Leone

Fact Sheet•Formerly known as Burma•Population: 50.5 million•Government armed forces: 400,000•Child soldiers: 70,000

Active conflict and recruitment•The following armies have forcibly

recruited child soldiers:▫Myanmar government/State Peace and

Development Council (SPDC)▫United Wa Army▫Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)▫Kachin Independence Army▫Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)▫Mon National Liberation Army▫Karenni Army (KnA)

Active aid•Committee for the Prevention of the

Recruitment of Child Soldiers (2004)•Child Law (1993), to comply with UN

Convention on the Rights of a Child•War Office Council Instruction 13/73

(1974), prohibits conscription of children under 18

•Myanmar Defense Services Act (1947), prohibits conscription of children under 18

Military Service in Myanmar•Military Service is voluntary in Myanmar

and under the Myanmar Defense Services Act 1974 and the War Office Council directive 13/73, a person cannot enlist in the armed forces until he has attained the age of 18.

•There is neither a draft system nor forced conscription by the government. Forced conscription in any form is prohibited.

Military Service in Myanmar•However, the issue of child soldiers was

exploited by the anti-government groups in cooperation with some non-governmental organisations to tarnish the image of Myanmar.

•Therefore, the government established a High Level Committee for the Prevention of Military Recruitment of Under-age Children on 5 January 2004 to effectively address the issue.

Prevention of Recruitment of Under-age Children in Myanmar•The Committee for the Prevention of

Military Recruitment of Under-age children was chaired by the Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council of the Union of Myanmar.

•The Committee was reinstituted on 14 December 2007 in accordance with the latest developments.

•The Committee is currently chaired by Adjutant General Maj- General Thura Myint Aung.

Conclusion•From 2002 to 2007, total of 792 persons who

did not meet the minimum age requirement had been sent back to their parents.

•During that period, actions against 43 other ranks and officers were taken for violation of the Directives on prevention of forced recruitment of minors.

•If a person is found to be guilty under the penal code, he will be punished with imprisonment of maximum one year, or with fine or with both.

Case Studies: Third-World CountriesMyanmarSierra Leone

Fact Sheet•Population: 4.8 million•Government armed forces: 14,000•Child soldiers: 7,000

Active conflict and recruitment•1991 – 2002 Civil War

Active aid•Disarmament, Demobilisation and

Reintegration (DDR) programs have failed to address the needs of thousands of women and girls across the counter

•The Special Court of Sierra Leone has indicted multiple leaders of crimes towards humanity and for the use of child soldiers

Active aid•An unknown number of child soldiers

were demobilized from faction groups throughout the country

•More than 300,000 displaced child soldiers have returned to their homes after 2004

Case Study: Sierra Leone•The Special Court for Sierra Leone

▫Established by the UN and the Sierra Leone government in 2002 to prosecute those suspected of responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1991-2002 war.

▫Issued its first indictments in 2003▫The indictments included charges of

conscripting, enlisting or using boys and girls under the age of 15 to participate in hostilities.

Case Study: Sierra Leone•The Special Court for Sierra Leone

▫Former Liberian president Charles Taylor was indicted by the Special Court in 2003 on 11 counts, including the use of child soldiers.

▫In 2006 he was arrested and transferred to the Special Court in the Hague, Netherlands, under an agreement with the International Criminal Court.

▫The trial began in January 2008 and the prosecution rested its case in February 2009. 

Case Study: Sierra Leone•The Special Court for Sierra Leone

▫In June 2007 the Special Court handed down verdicts against three accused men from the rebel Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), one of three warring factions during Sierra Leone's 11-year brutal armed conflict.

Case Study: Sierra Leone•The Special Court for Sierra Leone

▫The judges found the three accused - Alex Tamba Brima, Brima Bazzy Kamara and Santigie Borbor Kanu - guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, including the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

▫All three received prison sentences of more than 45 years.

Case Study: Sierra Leone•The Special Court for Sierra Leone

▫In February 2009, Issa Hassan Sesay, Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbao, the most senior surviving commanders of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) were found guilty of various war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the recruitment of child soldiers, during the 1991-2002 civil war in Sierra Leone.

▫They received jail terms of between 25 and 52 years.

Voices of Child Soldiers

Voices of Child Soldiers• Central Africa• "I feel so bad about the things that I did. It

disturbs me so much that I inflicted death on other people. When I go home I must do some traditional rites because I have killed. I must perform these rites and cleanse myself. I still dream about the boy from my village that I killed. I see him in my dreams, and he is talking to me, saying I killed him for nothing, and I am crying.“

A 16-year-old girl after demobilization from an armed group

(Source: U.S. State Dept. TIP Report 2005)

Voices of Child Soldiers•Colombia•"They give you a gun and you have to

kill the best friend you have. They do it to see if they can trust you. If you don't kill him, your friend will be ordered to kill you. I had to do it because otherwise I would have been killed. That's why I got out. I couldn't stand it any longer."

(17-year-old boy, joined paramilitary group aged 7, when a street child.)

Voices of Child Soldiers• Myanmar (Burma)• "They filled the forms and asked my age, and

when I said 16 I was slapped and he said, 'You are 18. Answer 18'. He asked me again and I said, 'But that's my true age'. The sergeant asked, 'Then why did you enlist in the army?' I said, 'Against my will. I was captured.' He said, 'Okay, keep your mouth shut then,' and he filled in the form. I just wanted to go back home and I told them, but they refused. I said, 'Then please let me make one phone call,' but they refused that too.“

• (Maung Zaw Oo, describing the second time he was forced into the Tatmadaw Kyi (Burmese army) in 2005.)

Questions for seminar-style discussion1. How would you define child soldiers?

Questions for seminar-style discussion2. How should the government of each

country react to the phenomenon of the use of child soldiers?

Questions for seminar-style discussion3. Is the UDHR truly violated in the use of

child soldiers? State instances where the UDHR has not been violated when child soldiers are used.

Questions for seminar-style discussion4. Should external forces like the UN

support efforts taken by countries to deal with the abuse of child soldiers? (consider the ASEAN policy of non-intervention)

Questions for seminar-style discussion5. As a student, what can you do to stop the

use of child soldiers?

Questions to be answered• IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM i. What is the form of abuse / violation?ii. Which article(s) of the UDHR is/are violated? Do provide a brief explanation. Do not merely

state the obvious.iii. Where does the abuse / violation take place?iv. Who is / are involved? Consider the victims, the perpetrators and third parties.v. Why did/does the abuse/violation take place? For what purpose?vi. How did / does the abuse take place?

• SUGGESTING A SOLUTIONi. What is being done and what can be done to stop such abuse?ii. Who can intervene / stop / prevent the abuse/violation?iii. How can this be achieved?iv. What are some problems and difficulties faced by enforcers?v. Why is there a need to end the abuse / violation?vi. What part can you play to stop the abuse / violation?

References• http://www.unicef.org/emerg/index_childsoldiers.

html• http://childsoldierrelief.org/2008/07/22/official-de

finition-of-a-child-soldier-from-cape-town-principles/

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_use_of_children

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/childrensrights/childrenofconflict/soldier.shtml

• http://www.amnesty.org/en/children• http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01032/about.

html• http://www.child-soldiers.org/childsoldiers/child-s

oldiers

References• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_the_

Rights_of_the_Child• http://www.child-soldiers.org/childsoldiers/questi

ons-and-answers