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The involvement of children in armed conflict

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2010

Stéphane Jeannet  and
Joël Mermet
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Extract

The International Committee of the Red Cross is deeply concerned about the increasing number of children recruited or volunteering to take part in hostilities throughout the world. Such children are exposed to the worst dangers and the most horrible suffering, both psychological and physical. What is more, they are easily manipulated and encouraged to commit grievous acts which they are often unable to comprehend.

Type
International Committee of the Red Cross
Information
International Review of the Red Cross (1961 - 1997) , Volume 38 , Issue 322 , March 1998 , pp. 105 - 107
Copyright
Copyright © International Committee of the Red Cross 1998

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References

1 Convention on the Rights of the Child, 20 November 1989. As at 15 December 1997, only the United States and Somalia had not yet ratified the Convention.

2 Goodwin-Gill, Guy and Cohn, Ilene, Child Soldiers, The Role of Children in Armed Conflicts, A Study on Behalf of the Henry Dunant Institute, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1994, 228 pages.Google Scholar

3 UN Document A/51/306: The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children — Report of the Expert of the Secretary-General, Ms Grača Machel. Following this study, Mr Olara Otunnu was designated the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for children and armed conflict.

4 Brett, Rachel and McCallin, Margaret, Children: The invisible soldiers, Rädda Barnen (Swedish Save the Children), Stockholm, 1996, 257 pages.Google Scholar

5 Resolution 2C, 26th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, Geneva, 1995,International Review of the Red Cross, No. 310, January-February 1996, pp. 63–64 Google Scholar ; Resolution 5 of the Council of Delegates, Geneva, 1995, ibid., pp. 146–147; Resolution 8.1 of the Council of Delegates, Seville, 1997, see p. 148 of this issue of the Review.

6 Or see the ICRC web site (http://www.icrc.org), under “Issues and Topics”, “Children in War”. The text has also been published in UN document E/CN.4/1998/WG.13, paragraphs 53–105.