Young Soldiers: Why They Choose to Fight

Abstract

The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with UN practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area, or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement of those opinions by the International Labour Office. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product, or process is not a sign of disapproval. 9 War 9 Poverty 14 Education and Employment 15 Family and Friends 23 Politics and Ideology 27 Specific Features of Adolescence 29 Culture and Tradition 32 Conclusion 36 2 The Life of the Prospective Volunteer 39 War and Insecurity 39 Economic Motivation 41 Education 44 Family and Friends 48 The Military/Parties to the Conflict 54 Politics and Identity 58 Conclusion 62 vii Contents 3 The Critical Moment Outbreak of Violence 65 Lack of Income/Poverty 66 School 67 Family Events 68 Friends 71 Recruitment 71 Conclusion 73 Vignette: Sayanathen 75 4 A Complex of Risk Factors Javad's Story 77 Identifying Risk Factors and Their Linkages 79 Conclusion 82 5 Girls and Boys Religion and Ethnicity 87 Domestic Exploitation and Abuse 88 Societal Expectations and Roles 91 Protection for Self and Family 93 Education 96 Reaction to Involvement 97 Demobilization and Reintegration 98 Conclusion 100 6 The Concept of Volunteering Volunteering for What? 105 How Voluntary Is Voluntary? 108 Legal Issues 112 Conclusion 117 7 Conclusion Key Factors 123 The Right to Leave 128 Improving Socioeconomic Reintegration 129 What Prospects? 135

Labor Markets in Contexts of War: Recruitment and Trafficking of Child Soldiers in Colombia

“…The database refers to child recruitment facts that occurred between 1981 and 2005 but were prosecuted between 2006 and 2016. 10 While the information registered by the Attorney General's Office was relevant input, this research identified several problems. Firstly, the information was not unified; that is, data on perpetrators and victims were distributed in 19 different matrices.…”

Targeted by Terrorists: Child Recruitment, Exploitation and Reintegration in Indonesia, Iraq and Nigeria

“…22 Findings across the social sciences also indicate the role of social and individual factors in influencing child trajectories into criminal and armed groups, including terrorist groups. Studies have investigated how family and community influence children's trajectories into armed groups 23 as facilitative factors for association 24 or, conversely, protective factors against recruitment. 25 Research also sheds light on the role of community leaders and community practices.…”

Imágenes sociales de jóvenes universitarios de Bogotá, Colombia, sobre el proceso de reincorporación de exguerrilleros de las FARC-EP a la sociedad civil.

“…Recent literature on youth in post-peace agreement societies note the capacity of youth agency and their possibility for transforming negative discourses that prolong conflict (Boyden, 2003(Boyden, , 2007Alpízar & Bernal, 2003;Alvarado Salgado & Ospina Serna, 2018), their peacebuilding activities and practices (Alvarado, et al, 2012;Özerdem & Podder, 2015), and their ability to absorb and distil nuances from the local culture (Sommers, 2012; Brett & Specht, 2004;Wessells, 2006). This article explores the perceptions and experiences of a group of young university students in Bogotá-Colombia concerning living in the same society with ex-FARC-EP combatants.…”