Monograph 37: Child Soldiers In Southern Africa-Migule A Mausse and Daniel Nina, Edited by Elizabeth Bennet
"I
come from a culture where, traditionally, children are seen as both our
present and our future, so I have always believed it is our
responsibility as adults to give children a future worth having"
Graça Machel
About this monograph:
We selected under-researched
topics for our current series of monographs, trusting that they will
help in defining mechanisms for stopping the practice of using children
in and for war. We are grateful to Miguel A Maússe and Daniel Nina for
their contribution to a finer understanding of the plight of child
soldiers in South Africa. There is a crying need to provide a deterrent
to war crimes against children and to see international justice in
action. To this end ACT is calling for the establishment of a
specialised international tribunal on War Crimes Against Children as a
matter of the gravest urgency.
ACT
the Action Plan Project for Children in Armed Conflict forms part of
the activities of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in South
Africa. The mandate of the ISS is to enhance human security in Africa
and ACT supports the quest to stop the use of children in armed conflict
situations by undertaking applied research and making recommendations
on this issue. The present practices and abuses pose a direct threat to
the dignity of humankind, they contradict all principles and rights
associated with international norms and make a mockery of the notion of
basic human security. Unless the present situation is immediately
redressed, generations of children will continue to be exposed to a
culture of violence which neither offers alternatives for intellectual
growth nor contributes to peace and nation-building processes. This
ultimately robs children of their future and their humanity.
I
wish to thank my colleagues at ISS, Virginia Gamba, Mark Malan and
Richard Cornwell for their professional support and Janice Bergh for her
care in the preparation of the manuscript.
Elizabeth Bennett
Head, ACTion for Children in Armed Conflict
