Young Soldiers: Why They Choose to Fight / Edition 1

by Rachel Brett, Irma Specht

Overview

Brett is with the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva; Specht is with the International Labour Organization. Based on interviews with 53 young soldiers and ex-soldiers from nine countries around the world who identify themselves as having "volunteered" for national armies, paramilitaries, rebel groups, or other armed groups, the authors bring together the under-18s' own views about why they are combatants. The text considers factors contributing to their joining up, including socioeconomic environment, vulnerable personal circumstances and triggers, and how these diverse factors interact; gender dimensions of the problem; how "voluntary" their participation really is; and recommendations for policy makers and workers in the field. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781588262615
Publisher:	Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/01/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	175
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

	List of Photographs	xi
	Foreword	xiii
	Acknowledgments	xv
	Introduction	1
	Vignette: Ali	6
1	The Broad Context	9
	War	9
	Poverty	14
	Education and Employment	15
	Family and Friends	23
	Politics and Ideology	27
	Specific Features of Adolescence	29
	Culture and Tradition	32
	Conclusion	36
2	The Life of the Prospective Volunteer	39
	War and Insecurity	39
	Economic Motivation	41
	Education	44
	Family and Friends	48
	The Military/Parties to the Conflict	54
	Politics and Identity	58
	Conclusion	62
3	The Critical Moment	65
	Outbreak of Violence	65
	Lack of Income/Poverty	66
	School	67
	Family Events	68
	Friends	71
	Recruitment	71
	Conclusion	73
	Vignette: Sayanathen	75
4	A Complex of Risk Factors	77
	Javad's Story	77
	Identifying Risk Factors and Their Linkages	79
	Conclusion	82
5	Girls and Boys	85
	Religion and Ethnicity	87
	Domestic Exploitation and Abuse	88
	Societal Expectations and Roles	91
	Protection for Self and Family	93
	Education	96
	Reaction to Involvement	97
	Demobilization and Reintegration	98
	Conclusion	100
6	The Concept of Volunteering	105
	Volunteering for What?	105
	How Voluntary Is Voluntary?	108
	Legal Issues	112
	Conclusion	117
7	Conclusion	121
	Key Factors	123
	The Right to Leave	128
	Improving Socioeconomic Reintegration	129
	What Prospects?	135
Appendix 1	Research and Methodological Issues	137
	The Project Proposal	137
	The Case Studies	139
	Selection of Informants	142
	The Methodology of Data Collection	143
	The Primary Data	144
	Analysis and Interpretation of Data	147
	Instructions Provided to Researchers	149
Appendix 2	Conflict Profiles	163
	Afghanistan	163
	Colombia	165
	Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville)	167
	Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)	169
	Northern Ireland	171
	Sierra Leone	173
	South Africa	175
	Sri Lanka	177
	Bibliography	179
	Index	186
	About the Book	192