Chapter

Child soldiers : the expanding practice of minors recruited to become foreign fighters

Francesca Capone

Foreign fighters under international law and beyond

The Hague : Asser Press ; Berlin : Springer, 2016

p. 187-204

English

Bibliographie : p. 203-204

An unknown number of children have joined parties fighting in Syria and Iraq and many of them fall within the category of foreign fighters. The presence of children in the foreign fighters’ ranks has also been ascertained by the UN Security Council in Resolution 2178, which has explicitly called on States to prevent radicalisation to terrorism, address the threat posed by ‘foreign terrorist fighters’, and prevent the recruitment of individuals, including children. This contribution seeks to address the questions stemming from the unique features of the current events, including the effectiveness of the existing international framework in preventing and prohibiting the recruitment of children, the unprecedented challenges that the international community has to face in order to counter the present situation and the importance of social recovery and reintegration within the communities of origin. To this end the chapter pursues a threefold aim, analysing the current set of norms that governs children’s recruitment and use in hostilities, focusing on how such framework applies to the phenomenon of foreign fighters and discussing the possible routes to foster accountability, prevention and rehabilitation of children in the ranks of foreign fighters.

• Full text (restricted access : ICRC)

• Foreign fighters under international law and beyond / Andrea de Guttry, Francesca Capone, Christophe Paulussen editors