-
The Use Of Child Soldiers In Armed Conflict As War Crime Under International Law
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 2]
Page 1 of 2
-
-
-
Chapter One
1.0. BACKGROUND
Armed conflicts with devastating effects have been part of mankind since
time
immemorial and these days, there are easily accessible light weapons
and even more destructive weapons, leaving a large number of the
wounded, maimed and dead in their wake. Children all over the world
constitute the largest and most powerless members of society and; it
used to be assumed that adults had the best interests of children at
heart and there was no need to think in terms of children’s rights or
their protection. This idealized perception of the adult-child
relationship ignored the grim realities of our world today.It is
virtually impossible to watch international television stations like
Cable News Network (CNN) or British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
without hearing or seeing the sufferings of children in one part of the
world or the other.
On these international television stations, the
glares of child soldiers with their oversize ‘AK-47’ weapons from
war-torn countries, calls out to the world to end these endless and
senseless wars. Luckily, Nigeria has not experienced these horrors
although she had had to contend with refugees from war-torn countries,
faced her own various communal, ethnic and sectarian clashes. The Niger
Delta insurgency readily comes to mind; and in all these situations, the
people who are most affected are innocent children. It is children who
are increasingly becoming the principal victims of hostilities and acts
of violence perpetrated in the course of armed conflicts. Children are
often in greater danger than adults during armed conflicts - the danger
and form of harm to which children are subjected to is specific to them
due to their innocence, vulnerability, and age.
In order to prevent
the use of children and ensure their protection during armed conflicts
and most especially, to bring to justice all those engaged in such
callous acts, preventive and countermeasures must be perfected. This
work is an inquiry into the consequences of traumatic man-made actions
which were borne out of flawed leadership and greed for money and power
and, of political failure by our leaders to prevent the tragedy that has
befallen an entire, defenseless population and; how international
justice is confronting the aura of impunity to justice of all those
involved in this unlawful creation, called Child Soldiers or Child
Combatants (which shall be used interchangeably throughout this research
work).
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 2]
Page 1 of 2
-
-
ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This dissertation entitled “The Use of Child Soldiers in Armed Conflict as War Crime under International Lawâ€is premised on an appraisal of the legality of the atrocities visited upon children during armed conflicts, especially as coerced active participants. This is approached from the perspective of the menace being a form of child abuse and exploitation of such children, and how international justice combats such illegality and impunity to justice of their commanders and recruiter ... Continue reading---
