Girls are also recruited and used by armed forces and groups. Some are injured and have to live with disabilities for the rest of their lives. No matter their role, child associated with parties to conflict are exposed to acute levels of violence – as witnesses, direct victims and as forced participants. Each year, the UN receives reports of children as young as 8 or 9 years old associated with armed groups. Moreover, the use of children for acts of terror, including as suicide bombers, has emerged as a phenomenon of modern warfare. Their tasks can vary, from combatants to cooks, spies, messengers and even sex slaves. Many girls and boys are also used in support functions that also entail great risk and hardship.
However, their role is not limited to fighting. In many conflicts children take direct part in combat. Some children are abducted and beaten into submission, others join military groups to escape poverty, to defend their communities, out of a feeling of revenge or for other reasons. There are many ways for children to become associated with armed forces and groups. The recruitment and use of children is a trigger to list parties to armed conflict in the annexes of the annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict. Voices for Children Affected by Conflict.ACT TO PROTECT children affected by conflict.Virtual Summer School on Child Protection in Armed Conflict.Ratification status of the Optional Protocol.OPAC – Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.
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