Vedantam, Seshaiah Shasthri, Protection of Children Against Forced Recruitment During Armed Conflicts (July 1, 2014). The IUP Law Review, Vol. III, No. 4, October 2013, pp. 7-19. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2461078

“Armed conflicts innately represent the struggle of organized armed forces over assertive armed rebel groups in relation to the control of human and non-human resources. While both aim at gaining supremacy and asserting their exercise of power, the adversely affected include not just the directly involved but even the remotely connected. One such group is ‘children’ or ‘persons below the age of majority’. Being vulnerable and impressionistic, they become influenced by the immediate, unmindful of their long-term physical and psychological implications. In view of the well-established normative ‘protections’ and ‘safeguards’ under International Human Rights Law, the author attempts to bring forth a critical review of the practice and implications of ‘forced recruitment’ of children in the regular armed forces and armed rebel groups. Focusing on the scope and impact of ‘conscription’ of child soldiers, the paper brings into debate the law as it exists in this regard and divergent state practices, and proposes a set of recommendations for consideration in the ultimate interests of children to whom all branches of law owe innate accountability.”