Secondary abstract: |
Throughout history, children have always been used in armed conflicts, both in assisting and direct roles. The international law first observed the need to protect children's rights with the 1924 Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child. The protection of the rights intensified, highlighting the recruitment and use of children in conflicts in both protocols of the Geneva Declaration in 1977. In 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child first defined child as every person, aged below 18. International Labour Organisation's Convention no. 182 classified mandatory recruitment of persons, aged below 18, as one of the worst forms of child labour. In 2000, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (OPAC) was adopted, relating to the involvement of children in armed conflicts. It is problematic as it sets double standards, some for state armed forces and other for non-state armed groups. In 2002, the Rome Statute classified the recruitment and use of children, aged below 15, as a war crime. With the 2007 Paris Principles and Paris Commitments, countries, international and non-governmental organisations from across the world, such as UNICEF, advocated for child soldiers. They outlined a plan, laying down new guidelines and practical measures in accordance with new international standards for the release, disarmament and reintegration of child soldiers. The recruiters were convicted by the International Criminal Court. The special court for Sierra Leone had the jurisdiction over child soldiers, aged between 15 and 18. These children need to be considered as victims and treated with dignity. Moreover, efforts must be made to ensure their reintegration. |