The Evolution of Child Soldiers from ‘Villains to Victims’ in Law and Policy and its Significance for Children Born of War

This chapter dissects how a prioritisation of the interests of war-affected children comes about and where and how legal actors come into play in establishing these children as victims instead of villains. Specifically, it will be examined how narratives of victimhood and perpetratorship applied to war-affected children have influenced developments in policy and law towards them. Building on Securitisation Theory, this chapter will address how legal actors have played a significant role in shifting perceptions around child soldiers by recognising them as victims of international crimes. Based on this, key factors for a successful application of international criminal law to the plight of CBOW will be discussed.

The central question to be answered in this chapter is: How can the experiences with legal and policy recognition of child soldiers be applied to CBOW?

Published in a peer-reviewed anthology with De Gruyter (open access): https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111010649-012/html

Author: Lina Stotz