Prevent to Protect: Early Warning, Child Soldiers, and the Case of Syria

Johnson, Dustin; Whitman, Shelly; Soroka, Hannah Sparwasser

doi:10.1163/1875984x-01001012

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The links between the recruitment and use of children as soldiers and sustained conflict is undertheorized (Johnson et al, 2018;Whitman and Baillie Abidi, 2020). However, the relational disruptions that result from armed conflict have far reaching impacts for children, their families and their communities (Hettitantri and Hadley, 2017;O'Neil, 2018; UN SRSG on Violence Against Children, 2020; Whitman and Baillie Abidi, 2020).…”

Section: Children and Armed Conflictmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevention, Protection and Participation: Children Affected by Armed Conflict

Abidi

2021

Front. Hum. Dyn.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Children are disproportionately impacted in fragile and conflict environments. Through a critical analysis of the ways in which violence is normalized and inherently gendered, this article explores the typology of violence embedded in fragile and conflict environments, the disproportionate impact of forced migration on children affected by conflict, how these interconnected forms of violence are gendered, and the importance of participatory and collective child protection and violence prevention action. Concluding with a discussion of the gaps in peace and security frameworks, the author identifies opportunities to strengthen child protection and recruitment prevention from a gender transformative perspective.

show abstract

Section: Children and Armed Conflictmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevention, Protection and Participation: Children Affected by Armed Conflict

Abidi

2021

Front. Hum. Dyn.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Critically, it means understanding and recognizing the early warning signs of conflict and the role children can play in sustaining or fueling conflict. 41 The case of Syria, one of the most tragic examples in contemporary conflict where children have been recruited and used as soldiers, is an example of how attention to this particular dynamic of the conflict went unheeded in any coordinated or effective manner. 42 There are seventeen principles defined in the Vancouver Principles, which collectively elevate the issue of children's rights within peace operations and offer the security sector practical guidance on how to prevent the recruitment and use of children as soldiers.…”

Section: Pathways To Preventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preventing Recruitment to Improve Protection of Children

Whitman¹,

Abidi²

2020

Allons-y

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In order to progressively end the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, the world must focus on effective prevention. The impacts of violence on children affected by armed conflict, and particularly those recruited and used as soldiers, are substantial. Thus, in order to break endemic cycles of violence and achieve peace and security globally, we need to prioritize the prevention of recruitment and the protection of children. This article features examples of effective prevention-oriented strategies, including tangible and practical methods that can be implemented towards the ultimate goal of preventing the recruitment and use of children as soldiers.Keywords: prevention, child soldiers, violence, children and armed conflict, Vancouver Principles

show abstract

“…Existing studies of child soldiering note that the participation of children in armed conflict is closely connected to subsequent atrocities against civilians (e.g. Münkler, 2005;Peters, 2011;Singer, 2006), leading some authors to even propose child soldiering as an early warning sign of future atrocities (Johnson et al, 2018). However, these studies largely disregard the role of armed group institutions such as combat training and political education in shaping combatant violence (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Child Soldiers on Rebel Violence against Civilians

Mehrl

2021

Civil Wars

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Existing work describes child soldiers as very violent towards civilians. This implies that employing children should increase rebels' victimization of civilians. Challenging this, I posit that children's effect on group behaviour is conditioned by whether rebels' receive civilian support. Because they have weak pre-existing norms, children are prone to normalize violence but also likely to be susceptible to rebel efforts to control their use of violence. They should thus closely follow group rules in their behaviour towards civilians, implying a moderating effect of these rules. I expect that child soldiering increases civilian victimization only for groups who have little incentives to show restraint towards civilians because they receive no support from them. In contrast, child soldiering has no such effect for groups with a strong civilian support base. Tests using global data on intentional killings of civilians from the period 1989-2009 support these expectations.

show abstract

Prevent to Protect: Early Warning, Child Soldiers, and the Case of Syria

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Prevention, Protection and Participation: Children Affected by Armed Conflict

Prevention, Protection and Participation: Children Affected by Armed Conflict

Preventing Recruitment to Improve Protection of Children

The Effect of Child Soldiers on Rebel Violence against Civilians

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About