CHILD SOLDIERS IN CONTEMPORARY ARMED CONFLICTS (Dzieci zolnierze we wspólczesnych konfliktach zbrojnych)

• Authors: Czyzewski Jaroslaw
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The practice of recruiting and exploiting children is an inseparable feature of a majority of contemporary armed conflicts. It is estimated that approximately 250,000 children are currently fighting in 17 armed conflicts, mainly in Africa and Asia. Children are recruited because they are 'cheap' to maintain, obedient, do not question orders, are easy to manipulate. A major influence on the occurrence of this phenomenon is also a change in the nature of armed conflicts as well as proliferation and technological development of light weapons. Another determinant is the existence of groups of children particularly threatened by recruitment and negative external conditions that often induce them to volunteer to join armed groups. Child soldiers are exploited as porters, sentries, spies, cooks, sexual slaves, and above all as soldiers fighting on the front line. They are forced to kill, rob and mutilate their relatives and the civilian population. The recruitment of children results in physical and psychic injuries that are difficult to overcome.

Keywords

EN

CHILD SOLDIERS; CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS

Discipline

• POLITICAL_SCIENCES: POLITICAL SCIENCES

• Publisher: Instytut Zachodni. Instytut Naukowo-Badawczy im. Zygmunta Wojciechowskiego w Poznaniu
• Journal: Przegląd Zachodni
• Year: 2009
• Issue: 1(330)
• Pages: 83-115
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Czyzewski Jaroslaw

• Jarosław Czyzewski, Instytut Zachodni, Instytut Naukowo-Badawczy, ul. Mostowa 27, 61-854 Poznan, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

09PLAAAA06619