Deconstructing Involvement of Child soldiers in Armed Conflicts: Analyses of Responsibility to Protect in Contemporary Context

Abstract: In the light of the ongoing Palestine-Gaza conflict, the international community is witnessing its drastic consequences on the life of its civilian population majorly comprising of women and children. Humanitarian assistance under the realms of international humanitarian law has now become much more relevant and significant than ever before. It is high time that the different nations of the world, especially the major stakeholders in terms of power and dominance, start taking cognizance of the dire need of providing humanitarian assistance and observance of humanitarian principles towards children who are the victims as child soldiers in such zones of conflict. This research work sheds light on the debate over the inclusion of child soldiers under the obligation of States under the United Nations’ Responsibility to Protect (RtoP). This paper is a critical analysis of the paucity of humanitarian actions taken by various international organizations and State actors as witnessed in some recent international armed conflicts. It also highlights the lack of seriousness observed among the majority nations and their eventual failure due to the lack of proper interpretation of legal terms and the non-binding nature of the legislative instruments. This paper is an attempt to analyse the role of child soldiers in international armed conflicts and suggesting the various steps that can be taken by the international community to evade their involvement and strengthen the basic norms of humanitarian law. Keywords: International law, Human Rights, International Conflicts, Security JEL Classification Numbers: K33, K38, F51, D74