THE IMPACT OF CHILD SOLDIERING ON EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN CONFLICT-AFFECTED AFRICAN STATES
Keywords:
Child, Development, Developmentsoldiers, Human, soldiers, States, Sustainable, WarAbstract
Child soldiering in war ravaged African countries presents significant and intractable challenges to sustainable human development. The issue is worrisome because in the last five years, thousands of children have been enlisted as soldiers by both government forces and armed groups throughout Africa. The militarization of minors by military forces and non-state armed groups represent a significant global challenge to education and human development. This is because since 2020 millions of minors residing within active conflict zones faced the threat of recruitment. It is against this background the study explores the causes of child soldiers in war torn Africa countries and its impact on education and sustainable human capacity development. The study employed secondary method of data collection, sourced from textbooks, journals, internet, among others, covering from 2020 to 2025. The study concludes that the occurrence of child soldiering is informed by the protracted conflicts which stimulate the enlistment of minors into armed groups to exacerbate cycles of violence and instability. The findings revealed that the socioeconomic repercussions of employing child soldiers significantly hinder national development and the absence of education leads to a depletion of human capital and diminished productivity. Finally, the study recommends a holistic approach with emphasis on the implementation of 2025 Rabat Declaration on Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) held in Rabat, Morocco.
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