From Child to Commander: Exploring the Complexities of Former Child Soldiers as Victims and Perpetrators of International Crimes

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

Children in conflict zones worldwide face ongoing violations of their human rights. Young people under the age of eighteen have been involved in wars for as long as war has existed, both as combatants and as victims. This poster seeks to illustrate the normative constructions underpinning child soldiering, psychosocial recovery and international law, assessing distinctions of moral agency and choice for former child soldiers who engage in high-stakes criminal behaviour as adult commanders in rebel organisations. It reveals inconsistencies in scholarship on rehabilitation and resilience, noting the importance of considering both gender analysis and research on mixed perpetration/victimhood. Finally, it emphasises current inadequacies in international jurisprudence around moral agency and diminished responsibility, suggesting that these defences require more development and nuance to legally manage the phenomenon of child soldiers who breach international law in adulthood.

Author

• Melissa Rossann Gregg, Simon Fraser University