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Girl soldiers and participation in hostilities

Quenivet, Noelle

Authors

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Noelle Quenivet Noelle.Quenivet@uwe.ac.uk
Director of Research and Enterprise (BLS)



Abstract

Recently, organisations working with former child soldiers have observed the growing number of girls involved in armed conflicts. While their fate as sexual slaves is well documented, their participation in hostilities is less acknowledged. Girls, like boys, spy, loot, and kill, but they also cook, clean, and run camps. International humanitarian law, human rights law and international criminal law ban the participation of children in armed conflicts. However, the interpretation of the expression ‘participation in hostilities’ leaves open the possibility that the activities carried out by girls do not fall within the purview of this prohibition, and that, hence, their recruiters are not breaching the aforementioned legal norms.

Citation

Quenivet, N. (2011). Girl soldiers and participation in hostilities. African Journal of International and Comparative Law, 16(2), 219-235. https://doi.org/10.3366/E0954889008000182

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Sep 11, 2011
Journal African Journal of International and Comparative Law
Print ISSN 0954-8890
Electronic ISSN 1755-1609
Publisher Edinburgh University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 16
Issue 2
Pages 219-235
DOI https://doi.org/10.3366/E0954889008000182
Keywords girls, soldiers
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1021303
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/E0954889008000182