Child Soldiery as a Tool of Modern Warfare(?): the Role of Child Soldiers in “New Wars”

• Main Author: Dóra SZIJJ
• Format: Article
• Language: ces
• Published: University of Defence 2010-12-01
• Series: Obrana a Strategie
• Subjects: Child soldiers; new wars; post-colonial conflicts; commodification of children; human rights breaches.
• Online Access: http://www.defenceandstrategy.eu/cs/aktualni-cislo-2-2010/clanky/child-soldiery-as-a-tool-of-modern-warfare-the-role-of-child-soldiers-in-8220-new-wars-8221.html

The hardly-known but regrettably prevalent phenomenon of child soldiery, which can be considered as a new development of modern warfare, might affect approximately 250,000 – 300,000 children worldwide. According to the estimates, 40% of our planet’s armed forces or armed groups deploy “child combatants” for different tasks, while the international community is still struggling against this form of the abuse of children. The global nature of child soldiery raises many questions in many fields, because it has deep political, social, economic, military, environmental, ethnic and religious etc. roots and far reaching consequences in the so-called Third World. Moreover, if we focus on the African peacekeeping missions of the European Union, child soldiery might also have indirect impacts on the European community. The aim of this study is to offer a comprehensive approach in connection with child soldiery, and pointing out the links between the post-colonial conflicts and this form of human rights breaches.