Child Soldiers

In many countries, children and adolescents also take part as soldiers and in the armies. More than 300,000 children under 18 are fighting in armed conflicts in more than thirty countries worldwide. In many countries, both girls and boys are used as soldiers; girls are at particular risk of rape, sexual harassment and abuse. Conferences in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America have all declared the stop of use of children as soldiers.

• Angola Case Study: The Prevention, Demobilization and Reintegration of Child Soldiers (231 KB PDF)

• Child Soldiers: Lessons Learned on Prevention, Demobilization, and Reintegration: Findings Newsletter, May 2002

• Child Soldiers: Preventing, Demobilizing and Reintegrating, Africa Region Working Paper Series No. 23, November 2001 (347 KB PDF)

• Child Soldiers: Prevention, Demobilization and Reintegration, May 2002

• El Salvador Case Study: The Demobilization and Reintegration of Child Soldiers (199 KB PDF)

• Enfants soldats: Prevenir, Demobiliser et Reintegrer, Africa Region Working Paper Series No. 23 (French Translation), September 2001 (557 KB PDF)

• From Child Soldier to Ex-Fighter: Female Fighters, Demobilisation and Reintegration in Ethiopia

• The Berlin Declaration on the Use of Children as Soldiers

• The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers

• The Kathmandu Declaration on the Use of Children as Soldiers

• The Maputo Declaration on the Use of Children as Soldiers

• The Montevideo Declaration on the Use of Children as Soldiers