By Ben Acheson.

The recruitment of children into armed groups is not a new occurrence but the changing nature of recent conflict has coincided with an increase in child soldiering . Children’s involvement increases the brutality of violence, makes resolution harder and relapses to conflict more likely. This essay will examine how children become involved in armed groups by assessing recruitment processes. Prior to analysing whether voluntary or forced recruitment is more prevalent, it is necessary to provide a working definition of a ‘child soldier’, establish causes for the worldwide increase and look at reasons why children are targeted by recruiters.

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