STOLEN CHILDHOOD: VIOLATIONS AGAINST CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS AND THE PURSUIT OF PROTECTION AND JUSTICE

Abstract

The present research undertook a comprehensive and careful analysis of how armed conflicts affect the fundamental rights of children and adolescents who experience them directly, leading them to be deprived of basic guarantees while being exposed to the danger of life and forced recruitment by combatant groups. To carry out the research, a systematic literature review was conducted, together with a documentary analysis of legal texts and other relevant documents. In conclusion, it was found that despite the existence of a broad legal framework to protect children and adolescents when improperly exposed to armed conflicts and/or other war scenarios, its final outcome still lacks effectiveness, given the difficulty of implementing international law in conflict environments and state ineffectiveness, as well as the fact that there is little effective commitment from major world powers to uphold international humanitarian law in such conflicts, where there are generally their own interests at stake.