Mark A. Drumbl, Reimagining Child Soldiers in International Law and Policy

Armelle Vessier, Mark A. Drumbl, Reimagining Child Soldiers in International Law and Policy, Journal of International Criminal Justice, Volume 12, Issue 2, May 2014, Pages 399–402, https://doi.org/10.1093/jicj/mqu016

Extract

It is estimated that military recruitment of children by armed forces and armed groups and their use in hostilities continues to occur in at least 87 countries and territories worldwide. Despite the increasing number of legal instruments adopted to reduce this global phenomenon, tens of thousands of children continue to be associated with armed forces and groups and be involved in armed conflicts. In his book, Mark A. Drumbl — Professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law and Director of the Transnational Law Institute — presents a new theoretical reflection on law and policy governing this issue.

In his creative and refreshing contribution to the literature on child soldiers, which entwines with his own experience in international justice, Drumbl undertakes to reimagine the topic. The author draws attention to the need for a new understanding in the conceptualization of child soldiers and suggests a more nuanced and less judgmental approach. This reimaginative exercise ‘calls into question habits and expectations that pervade contemporary humanitarianism, the universality of human rights, strategies for juvenile civic engagement, and post-conflict justice’. 1