Internationally agreed definition for a child soldier:
“Any person below 18 year of age who is, or who has been, recruited or used by an armed forced or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers, spies or for sexual purposes…”
Paris Principals and Guidelines on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups, 2007.
Tens of thousands of children under the age of 18 continue to serve government forces or armed opposition groups worldwide
Most children that participate in armed conflict are unlawfully recruited, either by force or at an age below that which is permitted in national law or international standards
However, today, close to two thirds …show more content…
Both government and non-state forces in developed and developing countries are culpable.
Challenges:
No choice:
Children who refuse are killed or raped.
Robbed of a childhood and lost the opportunity to an education
Gruelling existence, and malnourishment, and exhaustion and mistreatment take a high toll.
For example: the UN Secretary- General’s 2015 annual report documented that the recruitment and use of children is triggered by a complex set of reasons include duty to the family, patriotism, honour and economic difficulties
Another challenge of eradicating the recruitment of children into war is that in many con tries, it is the Government itself who force such situations . In Afghanistan, the Afghan National Police, Afghan local police and three armed groups have continually been listed as parties which recruit and use children since 2010.
This therefore add pressure to countries as a 1/3 of the world perceives the notion of child soldiers as a social norm.
Explanation of legal and non-legal …show more content…
The protocol establishes an international standard for the protection of children involved in armed conflicts and raises the age of participation in hostilities form 15 to 18 years and also raises voluntary recruitment into national armed forced from 15 to a minimum of 16 years. However the minimum age for recruitment in the Australian Defence Force is 17years. In 2007 there were approximately 500 under 18’s serving in the Australian Defence Force. This is not in accordance with the optional protocol on the rights of the child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (2002) which was designed to strengthen the CRoC. Due to not adhering to this protocol Australia has come under criticism by the international community. The Australian defence Forces’ recommendations for a review regarding this issue has been rejected by the Defence Department. This makes Australia’s legal response to the issue of child soldiers ineffective in protecting the rights of the child as it does not comply with international
“Any person below 18 year of age who is, or who has been, recruited or used by an armed forced or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers, spies or for sexual purposes…”
Paris Principals and Guidelines on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups, 2007.
Tens of thousands of children under the age of 18 continue to serve government forces or armed opposition groups worldwide
Most children that participate in armed conflict are unlawfully recruited, either by force or at an age below that which is permitted in national law or international standards
However, today, close to two thirds …show more content…
Both government and non-state forces in developed and developing countries are culpable.
Challenges:
No choice:
Children who refuse are killed or raped.
Robbed of a childhood and lost the opportunity to an education
Gruelling existence, and malnourishment, and exhaustion and mistreatment take a high toll.
For example: the UN Secretary- General’s 2015 annual report documented that the recruitment and use of children is triggered by a complex set of reasons include duty to the family, patriotism, honour and economic difficulties
Another challenge of eradicating the recruitment of children into war is that in many con tries, it is the Government itself who force such situations . In Afghanistan, the Afghan National Police, Afghan local police and three armed groups have continually been listed as parties which recruit and use children since 2010.
This therefore add pressure to countries as a 1/3 of the world perceives the notion of child soldiers as a social norm.
Explanation of legal and non-legal …show more content…
The protocol establishes an international standard for the protection of children involved in armed conflicts and raises the age of participation in hostilities form 15 to 18 years and also raises voluntary recruitment into national armed forced from 15 to a minimum of 16 years. However the minimum age for recruitment in the Australian Defence Force is 17years. In 2007 there were approximately 500 under 18’s serving in the Australian Defence Force. This is not in accordance with the optional protocol on the rights of the child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (2002) which was designed to strengthen the CRoC. Due to not adhering to this protocol Australia has come under criticism by the international community. The Australian defence Forces’ recommendations for a review regarding this issue has been rejected by the Defence Department. This makes Australia’s legal response to the issue of child soldiers ineffective in protecting the rights of the child as it does not comply with international