Child Soldiers: More Victims than Perpetrators

By Lisa Dallessandro

Lisa Dallessandro, a third-year student at Albany Law School, is an Executive Editor of International Law Studies.
Lisa was born and raised in Hudson Valley, N.Y. She received her B.A. in History from Boston College in May 2012. After graduating college, she interned at Sanocki, Newman, and Turret, a New York City firm specializing in medical malpractice and personal injury. In her free time, she enjoys reading historical biographies, listening to classical music, and playing with her dog, Eric.
Lisa wrote this paper for Prof. Bonventre's International Law of War & Crime Seminar.

Child soldiers present the international community with a tremendous challenge.  An estimated 300,000 children participate in more than 30 conflicts worldwide. The phenomenon of child soldiers has given rise to a complex victim-perpetrator paradox and made the prosecution of child soldiers a controversial issue around the world.

After considering the arguments for and against the prosecutions of child soldiers, this paper will argue that the international community is right to emphasize rehabilitation and reintegration over prosecution.  The paper will then evaluate DDR programs, the predominant form of rehabilitation and reintegration, and argue that their success is dependent on outside influences.
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To read the paper, open HERE.

The World Of Female Child Soldiers

A Chance at Equality or a Life of Servitude?

By Katie E. Valder

Katie Valder, a third-year student at Albany Law School, graduated magna cum laude with honors from Le Moyne College. She majored in Criminology and Crime & Justice Studies, with a concentration in International Affairs, and she double minored in Peace & Global Studies and Anthropology. At Albany Law, she is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Government Law Review, a student editor for the Government Law and Policy Journal, a teaching assistant for the Domestic Violence Prosecution Hybrid Clinic. She has worked as an intern at the New York State Attorney General's Office, the Saratoga District Attorney's Office, the Government Law Center, the Civil Rights and Disabilities Law Clinic, and the Domestic Violence Prosecution Hybrid Clinic. Additionally, Katie served as a teaching assistant for Introduction to Lawyering class, and has been active  in multiple pro bono projects, as well as the Women's Law Caucus.This presentation was created for Prof. Bonventre’s Fall International War & Crime Class.

                      (click to enlarge slides)
It is estimated that over 300,000 child soldiers are currently fighting in conflicts across the world in upwards of 30 countries.

The international community has taken action to stop the use of child soldiers. Among the steps taken are:
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,
the United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict,
the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,
and the Convention Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for Elimination of the Worst Form of Child Labour by the International Labour Office.

These initiatives, however, lack the narrow tailoring necessary to protecting young girls in armed conflict and fail to provide valid reintegration strategies.

This presentation focuses on the use of child soldiers, specifically female child soldiers, in armed conflicts around the world and uncovers the role these young girls play. For some, joining the conflict is an ability to gain equality to their male counterparts. For others, it means a life of sexual servitude and back-breaking labor.
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For the entire presentation, open HERE.
(It is then best to Download [by clicking on File] and then Open the downloaded power-point presentation.)

Understanding Child Soldiering

The Issue and Its Ramifications

By Bayti Chen

Bayti Chen, a third year student at Albany Law School, is the Vice President of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association. She has interned at the New York State Assembly as a Legislative Assistant to Assemblyman Vito Lopez.

Ms. Chen's paper addresses how children become soldiers and what efforts are needed to save them from losing their childhood to war. She prepared the paper for Professor Grahn-Farley's course, International Child's Rights, Spring 2011.

Wars have transpired since the existence of human life. Originally, adults were the soldiers of war, but since World War II, children began participating in wars and armed conflicts. A recurring pressing matter and trend is the use of child soldiers in armed conflicts. A child is defined as anyone under the age of eighteen. The meaning of “child soldier” has a broader definition than the typical definition of “soldiers” we know today, namely those who join the armed forces and handle machineries and/or are in direct confrontation with enemies. Child soldiers are “associated with any kind of regular or irregular armed group” that participates in all kinds of activities ranging from messengers, porters, sexual purposes, cooks, to front line combatant battles with land mines, bombs, and guns. They are not limited to just fighting in war or using militia weaponry.

Despite the vast amount of laws pertaining to child soldiers and its prevention, there remains the question of why are children still participating in armed conflicts? A majority of the countries that actively use child soldiers are particularly prominent in third world countries. As of today, it was found that more than twenty countries or territories actively involve children in armed conflicts both in government forces and non-state armed groups. Some countries includes Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Columbia, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Liberia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Rwanda, Thailand and Uganda. The underlying causes for the use of child soldiers and the appeal for enlistment ranges from poverty issues and a sense of belonging, to threats of force and death.*

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* Citations to references in this introduction are available in the paper.
To read the entire paper, open HERE.