Abstract

The involvement of children in fighting forces continues to be widespread, undercutting security and blocking development in many fragile states. Failure to prevent children from being recruited - and effectively reintegrate those who have been - results in their continued vulnerability, undermines peace agreements, and disrupts social and economic recovery following conflict. Indeed, stopping child recruitment is often a critical step in breaking the cycle of violence.

A number of militaries, human rights organizations, humanitarian groups, and peace and security actors have been grappling with the issue for some time, acting mainly in isolation. This project initiated by Senator Romeo Dallaire, Search for Common Ground and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will encourage interaction between these parties with a view to finding creative solutions to the problem of child soldiering. The project will include field testing promising techniques in an existing child soldier recruitment situation.

Recipient Institution(s)