Reimagining the Unimaginable? Reflections on Mark A. Drumbl’s Vision of Child Soldiers

The existence of child soldiers is a problem of the ages, and there are no positive signs that it is abating. The difference now is that, with the development of modern weapons technology, children can be involved in large scale and horrific acts during conflicts. The circumstances surrounding the u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Criminal law and philosophy 2017-03, Vol.11 (1), p.37-48
Main Authors: Freeland, Steven, Walther, Pernille
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Armed forces
Children & youth
Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law
Ethics
Law
Law and Criminology
Legal History
OriginalPaper
Philosophy of Law
Theories of Law
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Summary:The existence of child soldiers is a problem of the ages, and there are no positive signs that it is abating. The difference now is that, with the development of modern weapons technology, children can be involved in large scale and horrific acts during conflicts. The circumstances surrounding the use of children to wage war will vary from situation to situation. Yet, it has been suggested that many people seem to have a ‘single focussed’ view of what child soldiers look like, what their motivations are, and why they are engaged in activities associated with conflict. This article reflects on the recent views expressed by Mark A. Drumbl, who argues that we should ‘reimagine’ child soldiers, and offers some further views as to how this issue should best be addressed.
ISSN:1871-9791
1871-9805
DOI:10.1007/s11572-014-9335-0