Ending the Use of Child Soldiers: History, Impact and Evolution

Hearing Notice

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing focused on the use of child soldiers around the world, the evolution of the concept, and explore ways in which the United States could combat the practice.

Hundreds of thousands of children are used as soldiers in armed conflicts around the world. Some join voluntarily, following their family members or as a last resort after their family's murder. Some are abducted and forced to join. Some are armed and actively participate in killing, while others are used as cooks, porters or sexual slaves. Regardless of the means of recruitment or the duties performed, being a child soldier has a lasting and irreversible impact on the lives of these individuals.

In 2008, President Bush signed the Child Soldiers Prevention Act into law. The law was designed to prevent United States' support of regimes that are known to use children in their armed forces. However, as a result of the inclusion of a waiver clause, the United States is still actively supporting regimes that recruit child soldiers. Please come and learn about the history of child soldiers, its impact on the children's psyches, the evolution of the practice, and why the United States must do more to fight against it.

For any questions, please contact the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at 202-225-3599 or tlhrc@mail.house.gov.

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