LIABILITY FOR THE USE OF CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICT
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The Secret city General’s children and armed conflict report for 2016 formally lists seven armed forces and 56 non-state armed groups in countries including Myanmar, Somalia and Syria. Additionally, non-state armed groups, several other countries are also known to recruit and use children to participate in hostilities, although the changing nature of conflicts often makes these situations difficult to formally verify. This is alarming. Armed conflict continues to tear apart communities across the world. From Boko Haram’s abducted 'brides ’ and Islamic State’s ‘Caliphate Cubs ’, to the countless others exploited by armed groups in Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Afghanistan, many taking part in the world’s wars are still children. It is not necessarily so that we need new law. Rather, we need some clarification of existing law, especially as regards active participation, but more importantly we need to have the law as it stands implemented. States, civil society, the United Nations (UN), and others have highlighted the impact of armed conflict on children over the past decade, yet accountability efforts seldom result in tangible improvements to the security and well-being o f children and their communities. Additionally, perpetrators are rarely held to account for their actions, emboldening them to continue committing serious violations against children with impunity.