ABSTRACT:

Child soldiering has in recent time become prevalent in armed conflicts especially those taking place in Africa. As an issues the concept has a unique and long history. It is at once both ancient and current as our lost righteousness and has hounded humankind all the way. The recruitment and/or the use of child soldier in hostilities, either directly or indirectly, violates International Humanitarian Law (IHL) thus making the perpetrators criminally liable. This paper seeks to look at the law and the practice on the subject, in particular, the issue of individual criminal responsibility. We shall propose to also look at the challenges, enforcement and solutions.