The impact of globalisation on child soldiering: challenges and opportunities in the context of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

The impact of globalisation, the perception of the world as a global village, is discernible in the rapid spread of ideologies, the regionalisation of violent conflicts and inter‐state hostilities, the proliferation and availability of light weapons, and the illicit trade of minerals that helps finance armed groups, militias and proxies of foreign powers staging military campaigns against established governments. It is within this changing environment that children are recruited and used as soldiers. Despite a major threat posed by globalisation to children's security, this article argues that international efforts have emerged to provide an ongoing response to the deviant use of child soldiers. This is based on both international jurisprudence pertaining to children's rights, and advocacy by transnational non‐governmental organisations to stop all recruitment, exploitation and use of children in hostilities. The kadogo children associated with armed groups and forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo are used as a case study that depicts both the challenges and opportunities of globalisation for the contemporary child soldiering phenomenon.