The Right of the Child and the Phenomenon of Child Soldiering in Africa

Abstract

The phenomenon of child soldiering is horrendous and international but not novel in the annals of human history, as popular imagination would have us believe.  However, within the context of 21^st Century civilization, the scourge is worrisome enough particularly as it manifests distinctively in the war-ravaged regions of the African Continent. The article identifies the motivation for child soldiering, the international framework put in place for holding the phenomenon in check and the programmes initiated by international organizations to assist ex-combatants out of child soldiering, as well as the factors that limit the efficacy of such programmes, pointing the way forward by way of policy initiatives at national, international organization levels.