Conscription of children in armed conflict

The history of childhood abuse includes accounts of child murder, abandonment, prostitution, and child labour. Abuse of children in war is a modern issue brought to our attention in Sri Lanka, where civil war has lasted for about 20 years. One of the more distressing aspects has been the conscription of children. Globally, Amnesty International estimates that over 300 000 children under 18 are fighting in armed conflicts, with many under the age of 15.

They became bored and restless, and developed obsessions about blood, killing, and torture

Our experience is likely to mirror experience elsewhere. We found evidence in these child soldiers of psychological maltreatment, trauma, and neglect of human rights. Children were often recruited from poorer families already suffering from the war. All underwent indoctrination, aimed to encourage hatred of the enemy.

The children were involved in manual labour, guard duty, frontline fighting, and use of munitions, firearms, and radio communication. They were taught methods of self destruction (suicide). Many ran away, refused to obey orders, or argued. Disobedience led to punishment, including beatings, imprisonment, blackmail, and death threats. Although the children received some emotional support in the army, contact with their families was sparse or non-existent.

A third of the children were injured, including some from firearms. Examples of injuries included finger amputation, retained bullet in the skull, and fragments of shell in shoulder and skull. Psychological trauma and long term emotional damage were major concerns.

A colleague described features that he had seen. Children described how at an age of 11 they were conscripted into the army, indoctrinated, and given training to kill. They became involved in atrocities, including the killing of innocent women and children in village massacres. This excited them and they may have enjoyed this brutality, feeling that the people who were on the enemy side deserved to die.

The effects on the children were profound. They became bored and restless, and developed obsessions about blood, killing, and torture. Some of the children became prone to violent outbursts, irritability, nightmares, and insomnia. Some resorted to the use of drugs in an attempt to control their post-traumatic symptoms. This behaviour in turn could lead to reprisals from superiors in the army.

Children in war suffer adverse emotional consequences, including fear, suicidal thoughts, sadness, preoccupation with their situation, flashbacks, and nightmares. Children are easily corrupted by violence. “Heroes' day,” which celebrates martyrs, is a favourite event teaching them that personal aggrandisement and violent death are linked. But children feel sad and upset when they remember their families. They told doctors of the uniform loss of family, social status, and educational opportunity.

We wanted to define the abuse of children through conscription as, “The involvement of dependent, developmentally immature children and adolescents in armed conflict they do not truly comprehend, to which they are unable to give informed consent, and which adversely affects the child's right to unhindered growth and identity.”

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that “in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian laws in armed conflicts, states should take all feasible measures to ensure protection and care of children affected by an armed conflict.” A child is defined as a person under 18.

Although the use of child soldiers contravenes the “best interest” of the child in core principles, the convention does not prohibit recruitment of child soldiers over the age of 15. The Sri Lankan charter of the convention, however, limits the age of recruitment of government troops to 18 years and over. For many other countries, especially those with ongoing conflicts, the adoption of an optional protocol raising the minimum recruitment age from 15 to 18 years is, therefore, crucial.

Although some governments, such as those of the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, opposed the protocol, their stand was paradoxical as they respect their own laws on every aspect of child abuse.

It is obvious that this stand was taken because they themselves recruit children under 18 into the armed forces.

It is time for these countries to recognise that by trying to safeguard their position they are supporting other less scrupulous countries in justifying the conscription of children.

We can and must do more.