Regis Jesuit High School
Model United Nations Conference
Regis XV
Background Guide
Security Council
Topic 2Child Soldiers
Authors- Paul Stanford and Mitch Tilley
History of Child Soldiers: The use of child soldiers throughout the world has been an
ongoing problem throughout history. The earliest forms of child soldiers date all the way
back to the ancient Greek cities of Athens and Sparta. According to the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) a child soldier is defined as “any child-boy or girl-under
eighteen years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed for or armed
group in any capacity.” There are three major forms of child soldiers which include:
taking direct part in hostilities/war, being used as propaganda, or for political purposes,
and as spies, messengers, and lookouts. For many countries, the use of child soldiers
have been deemed immoral to most cultures, yet many children have been forcibly
thrown into armed conflicts. Since the 1970’s there has been a multitude of international
conventions that have come into effect, such as the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child
Soldiers, whose main goal is to protect children from being used as child soldiers.
In the world today, the use of child soldiers is a widespread global issue with its
main sources coming from countries such as Burundi, Chad, Haiti, Iraq, Thailand,
Somalia, Sudan, and the Philippines. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Kimoon, issued his latest report to the Security Council on April 22nd, 2009, in which he
documented grave violations against children in twenty different nations. In a recent
study, it was found that eighty percent of armed conflicts with the use of child soldiers
have combatants below the age of fifteen. A major problem the United Nations and
affected countries face is the long-term effect of psychological and emotional scarring on
the children being used as soldiers. With so many children already involved in armed
conflict, peace might not be a viable option if countries around the world continue to use
child soldiers. As of right now, the use of child soldiers is still very prevalent in a large
part of the world, but progress has been made, and the United Nations is very committed
to ending the major problem.
Current Situation of Child Soldiers: Currently, there are approximately 300,000 child
soldiers in thirty conflicts worldwide. Another half a million children serve in armies
that are not currently at war, making children forty percent of the world’s armed
organizations. Since 2001, the most intense warfare involving child soldiers has taken
place in: Burundi, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Uganda, and
Myanmar. Child Soldiers present an all around problem to many of the armed forces
whom they are fighting against. For example, the U.S. forces in Afghanistan have come
across child soldiers on multiple occasions, yet many of the soldiers feel sympathy for the
children and do not fight them, which has proven to be lethal many of these soldiers.
Overall, there has been a lot of positive progress towards demilitarizing children
in conflict areas. First and foremost, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child (UNCRC) is one of the earliest conventions upholding the rights of children.
Signed into effect in 1990, UNCRC is an international convention setting out the civil,
political, economic, social, and cultural rights of children. Today, the UNCRC is
monitored by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, composed of
countries around the world, which sends an annual report to the United Nations General
Assembly. In this annual report, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the
General Assembly will examine each of the countries in order to make recommendations
or raise concerns to the governments of each country. The UNCRC currently has 193
countries that have ratified it, and all members of the United Nations except the United
States and Somalia. Recently in 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted the Optional
Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, which requires governments
to ensure that children under the age of eighteen will not be recruited into their countries
armed forces, and the protocol calls on governments to ensure that no one under the age
of eighteen enters their armed forces and take part in warfare.
There have been multiple resolutions and proposals regarding child soldiers,
however the most well known resolutions have been: Resolution 1261 (1999), Resolution
1539 (2004), and Resolution 1612 (2005). Most notably, Resolution 1261 calls for an
immediate and urgent end to the use of all child soldiers, and asks that the countries
themselves take responsibility for the current situation and work towards achieving this
goal. The resolution also urges the importance of protecting the welfare and rights of
children during peace negotiations after the armed conflicts have concluded. Resolution
1539 reaffirms the mission of the different countries affected by this problem to take
responsibility and fix this problem. Additionally, the resolution reaffirms that the use of
child soldiers is an international crime that will not go unnoticed. The resolution requests
an action plan which will monitor the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and any other
violations using expertise from the United Nations, and through the contributions the
national governments and other outside organizations in order to accurately monitor, and
record violations and abuse committed against children. Finally, the most recent
resolution, 1612 (2005), takes another step to further combat the use of child soldiers by
deploying UN peacekeepers in conflict areas, along with child protection advisers
(CPAs). Resolution 1612 seeks to create stable long term help of each individual nation
to create strong national institutions and local networks to ensure the advocacy,
protection, and proper rehabilitation for child soldiers.
Quick Facts about World Wide Child Soldiers
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Child soldiers are found in at least 86 countries and territories worldwide
Worst Offenders are Burma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Uganda,
Nepal
Children are used as soldiers because they can be easily manipulated and trained,
they are least likely to resist orders and do not need compensation (money)
Child soldiers are horribly abused - they are over-worked, denied food and water,
subject to physical and emotional torture, as well as rape and sexual exploitation.
They also suffer disease, malnutrition and injuries
The number of children under the age of 18 who have been enlisted to take up
arms as child soldiers is approximately 300,000
Most soldiers under 15 are to be found in non-governmental military
organizations
Most child soldiers under 18 have been recruited into Governmental armed forces
The youngest child soldiers are about 7 years old
Over the past decade, conflicts have claimed the lives of more than 2 million
children; left millions maimed or permanently disabled, 10 million with serious
psychological trauma, and resulted in over 12 million children refugees. In
addition, worldwide conflicts have created 1 million orphans. The health and
education of even larger numbers have been affected because conflicts have
destroyed crops, schools, and clinics.
How and Why Do Children Become Soldiers
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Lack of education - There is no access to free education and many countries.
School fees and uniforms cost money and in a world where 1.2 billion live on less
than $1 per day there isn’t money for children’s education costs. Since these
children do not have a future, unfortunately, they will enlis as child soldiers
Poverty and the lack of social services - Parents may encourage their children to
join as it is the only guarantee of food, clothing, shoes and protection in some
regions. Life as a soldier is the only thing left to do.
Ongoing wars – War times bring a high demand for soldiers. Existing laws
regarding the use of child soldiers are often not enforced in times of civil unrest.
Displacement - A familiar component of war, displacement similarly is coupled
with a lack of social, family and economic structures that protect children and
give them an alternative to violence.
Recruitment incentives - In countries with a high demand for soldiers, such as in
Burma, recruitment incentives drive others to find new recruits. Children are
promised cell phones, cars and money in return for service, when, in reality, they
are being bought and sold by military officers.
Questions to Consider
What additional actions should the United Nations Security Council take to
ensure that child soldiers are de-militarized and properly taken care of?
Should the United Nations sanction any country who continues to use child
soldiers?
Is it the responsibility of the United Nations to intervene, and infringe on a
nation’s sovereignty if a nation is unable to end a war, and unable to stop the use
of child soldiers?
Sources of Information on Child Soldiers:
http://militaryhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_history_of_child_soldiers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_use_of_children#Movement_to_stop_military_use_
of_children
http://www.cfr.org/publication/9331/
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30567&Cr=children+armed+conflict
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/ctte/s_counc.htm
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N99/248/59/PDF/N9924859.pdf?OpenEleme
nt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_the_Rights_of_the_Child#Optional_Protoco
ls
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/318/63/PDF/N0431863.pdf?OpenEleme
nt
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N05/439/59/PDF/N0543959.pdf?OpenEleme
nt
http://www.globalactionforchildren.org/issues/child_in_conflict/
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/briefing/soldiers/soldiers.pdf
http://www.commondreams.org/views/032100-104.htm
http://childsoldiers.wikidot.com/statistics