The use of children in conflict is not a new phenomenon. As Alcinda Honwana (2006) shows in her book “Child Soldiers in Africa”, the use of children in conflict dates back to the Middle Ages. Scott Gates, Director of the International Peace Research Institute at Oslo, furthers this by showing how children were used by the Spartans of Greece. The main distinction that must be noted, however, is that in “primitive” warfare, the warrior was seen as an honorable title and the warrior was a protector of civilian society.
Joan of Arc was 16 when she led an army of 4,000 into battle.
As warfare has changed, the rules of engagement have changed as well. With the modernization of warfare, conflicts are increasingly becoming internal struggles, where the distinction between civilian and combatant is blurred. Eventually, International humanitarian law stepped in to address the issue of youth in combat. The first international law dealing with children, the 1949 Geneva Convention, detailed provisions for youth in armed conflict. Much later, the 1977 Additional Protocols (I and II) set the minimum age for participation in armed conflict at 15. The 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) defined a child as any person under the age of 18. The CRC sought to establish protections for children, but failed to set a precedent for child soldiers, thereby allowing the use of youth as young as 15 in armed conflict to continue. In response, the 2000 Optional Protocol to the CRC on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict set the minimum age at 18. Additionally, the Graça Machel report of 1996 on the impact of armed conflict on children laid the foundation for the children and armed conflict agenda and constituted a seminal call to action. Most recently, the US Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 prohibits the United States from providing funding to countries utilizing child soldiers, although according to Human Rights Watch, the United States is still providing funding to Chad, Somalia, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the United Nations approximately 194 countries have ratified the CRC including every member of the United Nations except the United States and Somalia. Over time, the issue has gained more attention. With the help of International Law, the issue has slowly evolved from an internal issue to an issue of global proportions.
Youth In Conflict 
In no way should this comment be mistaken for criticism of the inherently sane agenda of this website, but this specific entry omits the historical role of the Abrahamic religions’ obsession with using children to fight their wars. As a result, this entry is historically incorrect in ways that are mildly disturbing.
There was a very famous child soldier almost every child in the world hears about, at some point (certainly every Christian child). He was emotionally manipulated into fighting (and ostensibly killing) a fierce warrior who (if the story is even true) almost certainly died because he was too horrified to kill a tiny child.
jfarrar86, you have not heard the story of David v Goliath? That’s rather surprising.
And what about the Basij boy soldiers of the Iran v Iraq War fought only relatively recently?
Almost every arms manufacturing nation on the planet rushed in to sell arms to both sides but the Ayatollah (quite correctly) believed the Qur’an forbid usury (Islamic banks agree to disagree). Saddam Hussein had no problem with accepting the West’s loans and whilst his inability to repay those loans eventually led to his death, Iraq actually lost that war for reasons which were rather “humane”.
Without money to pay for rifles and bullets, after repelling the Iraqi invasion, Iran counter-invaded Iraqi territory ‘protected’ by Singaporean-laid minefields. Iran had a lot of bodies but no bullets, and they used the Basij boys to win that war.
From Wikipedia:
“During the Iran-Iraq War hundreds of thousands volunteered for the Basij, including children as young as 12. These volunteers were swept up in Shi’i love of martyrdom and the atmosphere of patriotism of the war mobilization. They were encouraged through visits to the schools and an intensive media campaign. The Basij may best be known for their employment human wave attacks which cleared minefields or depleted the enemy’s ammunition.
The typical human wave tactic was for Basijis (often very lightly armed and unsupported by artillery or air power) to march forward in straight rows. While casualties were high, the tactic often worked. “They come toward our positions in huge hordes with their fists swinging,” an Iraqi officer complained in the summer of 1982. “You can shoot down the first wave and then the second. But at some point the corpses are piling up in front of you, and all you want to do is scream and throw away your weapon. Those are human beings, after all.”
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Please correct this entry to reflect the historical role of the Abrahamic religions in the horrifying use of child soldiers to fight the wars of emotionally manipulating religious creeps.
i apologize for my short response as i am responding from kampala and dont have long on the internet. i appreciate your comment, but as you can see, the historical background provided is not meant to be a full account of the history of using youth in armed conflict, but rather a small look into its history as a way to show that it does indeed have a history. i have heard of david and goliath, but that does not mean that i must use it. as a female i found the story of joan of arc more compelling. as the focus of this blog is to look at current issues regarding child soldiers i doubt i will take too much time to change the post regarding historical background. thank you for your comments and insight.