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Summary: British authorities have confirmed that children under the age of 18 were accidentally deployed to operational theatres in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2008 and 2010.
[20 October 2011] - Child soldiers are by no means a phenomenon of new wars. They appeared in the legions of Spartan armies during the days of ancient Greece, on both sides of the US Civil War and even in the British Navy in non-combative roles during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. However, as the world’s justice systems and ethical standards have evolved with a commitment to human and children's rights, the practice of engaging children in armed conflict has been grown to be intolerable. As armies of North American and European countries became embroiled in peacekeeping and “peacemaking” missions around the world, it became clear the child soldiers were not just an issue for developing, war-torn countries. Western militaries have had to confront child soldiers in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Iraq and Afghanistan – highlighted by the controversial case of Omar Khadr, a child combatant apprehended by US forces in 2002. Yesterday, news from the United Kingdom (UK) demonstrated that the issue of child soldiers is a very real internal issue for Western governments, as well. According to a report published by the Daily Mail, the British government recently confirmed that four British children were sent to operational theatres in Iraq and Afghanistan between April 2008 and March 2010. Junior Defence Minister, Andrew Robathan, has noted that the responsibility for the “mistake” on military commanders, who “inadvertently” deployed the children to areas where their lives could have been at risk from enemy fire and homemade explosives devices. In the UK, it is legal for the armed forces to recruit children aged 16 and 17, so long as they are not deployed to the frontlines. Two of the four soldiers deployed were just shy of their 18th birthdays. Prime Minister David Cameron has commented on the situation, which has sparked controversy. As reported by the Daily Mail’s Ian Drury, he stated, “the pressures on units prior to deployment have meant there have been a small number of instances where service personnel have been inadvertently deployed to an operational theatre before their 18th birthday.” Since these revelations, there have been tighter checks at RAF Brize Norton, the main air base used by the British to fly troops out of the country. Since the beginning of 2010, there have been no further cases of British children being sent to war and the deployed children were returned as soon as possible, say British authorities. Children’s rights campaigners have been calling on the government to increase the recruitment age for the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force to 18. The Coalition To Stop The Use Of Child Soldiers, War Child, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Children’s Society and the Children’s Rights Alliance For England support this. Recruits aged 18-22 have accounted for a quarter of all British fatalities in Afghanistan. The UK signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, ratifying it in December of 1991. Under the Convention, state parties must refrain from recruiting children under the age of 15 and ensuring they do not take a direct part in hostilities. The Convention further states, “In recruiting among those persons who have attained the age of fifteen years but who have not attained the age of eighteen years, States Parties shall endeavour to give priority to those who are oldest.” Under the accompanying Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, state parties are called on to prevent children under the age of 18 from taking a direct part in the hostilities. However, unlike the Convention, the Optional Protocol is not automatically binding on countries that have signed the Convention. The UK ratified the Optional Protocol in 2003, but issued the following declaration: The UK “will take all feasible measures to ensure that members of its armed forces who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct part in hostilities.” But, in the event of a “genuine military need” and by “the nature and urgency of the situation,” the deployment of recruits under the age of 18 would not be excluded. In Canada, children aged 16 and over can also be voluntarily recruited into the armed forces. However, until they attain the age of 18, they can only be trained and educated in the military– not deployed to war. Moreover, they must have the full, written consent of their parent or guardian.