Use of Children as Soldiers.

A child soldier is a person less than 18 years of age who/has been recruited/used by an armed force/armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers, spies, or for sexual purposes. Complex consequences on both physical and mental health are reported among child soldiers. One-third to one-half of these children may have clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The United Nations identified more than 25,000 grave violations against children during armed conflicts in 2019. The recruitment and use of children under 18 in armed conflicts must stop. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Ruth A Etzel. Use of Children as Soldiers. Pediatric clinics of North America. 2021 Apr;68(2):437-447

Mesh Tags

PMID: 33678297

search → result