The Use of Child Soldiers in Conflicts - Essay Example

The issue is more complicated than that. While child soldiers are victims of war crimes, they too can also perpetrate serious breaches of the law of armed conflict. Under normal circumstances, individuals who commit such acts, be they combatants or not, would be vulnerable to prosecution. However, because children in such situations are victims as well as perpetrators and because of the special protections afforded to children under international law, many have questioned whether or not children can be prosecuted for these egregious violations of the law of armed conflict. But a larger question is are states being prevented from using child soldiers by international law? Are the laws robust enough to prevent this situation from occurring in the future? The answer must sadly be no. Countries in Africa remain the worst offenders in terms of employing girls and boys to do fighting. Often they are drugged and abused. They live for the rest of their lives with the knowledge of their crimes.

The world is changing. International law is increasing its purview. But the scourge of child soldiers remains. We must take more steps to combat this.