2022 Human Rights Reports: Insights Into Global Child Soldier Recruitment & Use

In March, the State Department published its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The 2022 Human Rights Reports provide valuable insights into rights violations, abuses, and other issues in countries around the world during the 2022 calendar year, including the recruitment and use of child soldiers by government forces and non-state armed groups. To facilitate analyses of global child soldier practices in 2022, Stimson prepared the following compilation of key child soldier-related language excerpted from the 2022 Human Rights Reports.

The first section includes excerpts pertaining to countries in which government forces or government-supported armed groups reportedly recruited or used child soldiers during the 2022 calendar year. The second section includes excerpts pertaining to countries in which non-state armed groups reportedly recruited or used child soldiers in 2022 without any reported government involvement.

For a discussion of how the Biden administration can leverage this year’s Human Rights Reports to strengthen U.S. child soldier prevention efforts in the months ahead, see: 2022 Human Rights Reports: What They Mean for Biden’s Child Soldier Prevention Efforts.

Recruitment or Use by Governments or Government-Supported Armed Groups

Afghanistan

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers.”
• “The Taliban¹Note: Afghanistan is included in this section due to reports of child soldier recruitment and use by the de facto Taliban government. However, “[t]he United States has not decided whether to recognize the Taliban or any other entity as the government of Afghanistan.” and ISIS-K reportedly engaged in child recruitment and used child soldiers younger than age 12 during the year.”
• “Under the pre-August 2021 government’s law, recruitment of children in military units carried a penalty of six months to one year in prison. On March 27, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree banning child recruitment by Taliban members, and the Taliban claimed that they did not allow children younger than 18 to join any of their forces. The Children and Armed Conflict Report verified the recruitment and use in the country of at least 58 boys, of whom 34 were attributed to the Taliban.”
• “According to findings by the All Survivors Project, sexual harassment, bacha bazi (the sexual and commercial exploitation of boys, especially by men in positions of power), child soldiering, and child labor remained prevalent under the Taliban. Taliban “commanders” reportedly remain involved in bacha baziand child soldiering. In at least four cases across the country, boys ages 14-16 reported being abused by the Taliban. Reports indicated that child soldier recruitment by the Taliban and bacha bazi incidents increased during the year, despite their prohibition. The UN Special Rapporteur’s September report stated that the killing and maiming of children, mostly by explosive remnants of war, accounted for 72 percent of the recorded 636 violations affecting 489 children between January and June. The UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting verified 522 grave violations against 269 children (including 47 girls) from September 14 to December 7. The killing and maiming of children remained the most prevalent violation, affecting 267 children (64 killed, 203 maimed).”
• “The U.S. government has determined that children were recruited or used as child soldiers in the country from April 2021 to March. Please see the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.”

Burma (Myanmar)

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers.”
• “The military and some EAOs (the United Wa State Army, Kachin Independence Army, the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (South), the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army, and the Arakan Army) were listed in the UN Secretary-General’s 2022 Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict as perpetrators of the unlawful recruitment and use of children. Other EAOs, such as Ta’ang National Liberation Army, also recruited and used children, according to local media reports. Meaningful use of the National Complaint Mechanism, focused on the elimination of forced labor but which also receives reports on the recruitment and use of child soldiers, was limited. There was no credible evidence that the regime or EAOs prosecuted offenders.”
• “The U.S. Government has determined that Burma had or used child soldiers from March 2021 to March 2022. Please see the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report at www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.”
• “Birth registration is required to obtain a national identification card, and it can provide important protections for children, particularly against […] underage recruitment into the armed forces and ethnic armed groups.”

Central African Republic

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers by armed groups and the armed forces.”
• “Armed militias associated with Anti-Balaka, ex-Seleka, the CPC, the Lord’s Resistance Army, and other armed groups forcibly recruited and used child soldiers. There were two verified cases of government-supported units recruiting and using soldiers during the year. In April the United Nations reported that Wagner Group elements recruited and trained children in Alindao, and FACA soldiers used children for petty labor at checkpoints in various locations around the country. Armed groups recruited children and used them as combatants, messengers, informants, and cooks. Girls were often forced to marry combatants or were exploited as sex slaves.”
• “Despite signing the UN’s Standard Operation Procedures proscribing the use of child soldiers, the Central African Patriotic Movement, FPRC, and UPC continued to use child soldiers. The FPRC and UPC issued orders barring the recruitment of children; however, NGOs reported the continued presence of children within these groups. From January to June, UN agencies reported 157 victims of child soldier recruitment by armed groups.”
• “The law prohibits and criminalizes the recruitment and the use of children into armed groups and their exploitation for sexual purposes; perpetrators may be sentenced up to 10 years of imprisonment to hard labor. In addition, the law establishes that a child who has served in an armed force or group is a victim and should not be subject to criminal prosecution or that service, and mandates social reintegration mechanisms for victims.”
• “During the year, the government, UNICEF, and various NGOs worked with armed groups to combat the exploitation of child soldiers. The focal point for children’s affairs in the unit in charge of the national Demobilization, Reintegration, and Repatriation program confirmed 29 former child soldiers were detained in Ngaragba Prison, because the government was unable to find alternative centers to hold and rehabilitate them. These children were all released and reunited with their home communities by presidential decree in November.”
• “In April the minister of defense issued a directive prohibiting children from being near military facilities. In August the government, at the recommendation of Minister Counselor of Child Protection Bemaka-Soui, implemented a series of training sessions designed to sensitize security forces to problems related to trafficking in persons and the use of children in armed conflict. Officers from the armed forces, police, gendarmerie, fire brigades, and forest protection units received the training. Additionally, the government required Russian “instructors” stationed at a FACA base in Baragno to attend the training. The training covered the legal and ethical topics associated with human trafficking and utilizing children in armed conflicts and examined cases and best practices.”
• “In November the president signed a decree releasing 33 former child soldiers from prison and returned them to their home regions with assistance from the International Organization for Migration and UNICEF.”

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in conflict, including unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers by armed groups and the armed forces.”
• “Armed groups […] reportedly unlawfully recruited, abducted, and retained child soldiers and subjected children and adults to forced labor.”
• “The U.S. government has determined that the SSF and armed groups in the country had or used child soldiers throughout 2021. The country was also included on the 2022 Child Soldiers Prevention Act list because the FARDC recruited or used child soldiers. Please see the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report.”
• “Parents in some areas kept their children from attending school due to fear of armed groups’ forcible recruitment and use of child soldiers.”
• “There were also reports child soldiers, particularly girls, faced sexual exploitation.”
• “In the eastern part of the country, armed groups continued to abduct and forcibly recruit men, women, and children to serve as laborers, porters, domestic laborers, and combatants (see section 1.g.). In eastern mining regions, there were reports that armed groups violently attacked mining communities and surrounding villages; held men, women, and children captive; and exploited them in forced labor and sex trafficking.”

Eritrea

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] use of child soldiers.”
• “In May, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea reported he had received information from multiple credible sources regarding the deployment of Eritrean children in military combat in Ethiopia.”²Note: The Country Report itself doesn’t indicate whether Eritrea was involved in the recruitment or use of these children. However, the May 2022 report from the UN special rapporteur that the Country Report references suggests that these children were recruited by the Eritrean armed forces.

Ethiopia

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers by government forces and militia groups.”
• “There were some reports of unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers by government forces and armed groups. The government and the TPLF alleged the other had unlawfully recruited and used child soldiers, denying the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers within their own forces.”
• “According to an October media report, the government forcibly recruited child soldiers from southern Oromia to fight against the TPLF. The government repeatedly denied the allegations of forced recruitment, maintaining youth of legal age joined security forces voluntarily.”

Iran

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.”
• “The U.S. Government has determined that Iran recruited or used child soldiers from April 2021 to March 2022. Please see the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.”

Mali

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers by nonstate armed groups allied with the government.”
• “Nonstate armed groups, including several signatories to the 2015 Algiers Accord for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali (Algiers Accord), committed serious human rights abuses, including […] the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers.”
• “The U.S. Government has determined that Mali had or used child soldiers from March 2021 to March 2022. Please see the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report at www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.”
• “Several local NGOs worked with foreign partners to register children at birth and to educate parents regarding the benefits of registration, which was critical for access to education and government services. Birth registration also played an essential role in protecting children, as well as facilitating their release and reintegration if recruited by armed groups or detained by authorities.”

Russia

• “Outside of human rights abuses committed by Russia in relation to its invasion of Ukraine, significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] providing support to an armed group that recruited or used child soldiers.”
• “The U.S. Government has determined that the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group recruited or used child soldiers during the year. Please see the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report at www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.”

Somalia

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers.”
• “During the year there were reports that the SNA and its allied militias, as well as al-Shabaab, unlawfully recruited and used child soldiers.”
• “The Ministry of Defense Child Protection Unit (CPU) led federal government efforts to address the child soldier problem within government armed forces. Between January and June, the CPU screened 3,537 SNA personnel and identified three soldiers younger than age 18. The CPU also provided training to raise awareness of unlawful child soldier recruitment and to verify the number of children in security sector units for corrective action. The CPU continued to use biometric registration to detect and deter unlawful child soldier recruitment. In the absence of birth registration systems, it was often difficult to determine the age of national security force recruits.”
• “Al-Shabaab continued to recruit and force children to participate directly in hostilities, including suicide attacks. According to UN officials, al-Shabaab accounted for most child recruitment and use.”
• “Al-Shabaab raided schools, madrassas, and mosques and harassed and coerced clan elders to recruit children. Children in al-Shabaab training camps were subjected to grueling physical training, weapons training, an inadequate diet, physical punishment, and forced religious training in line with al-Shabaab’s ideology. The training reportedly also included forcing children to punish and sometimes execute other children. The group used children in direct hostilities, including placing them in front of other fighters to serve as human shields and suicide bombers, and to plant roadside bombs and other explosive devices. In addition, al-Shabaab used children in support roles, such as carrying ammunition, water, and food; removing injured and dead militants; gathering intelligence; and serving as guards. Media frequently reported accounts of al-Shabaab indoctrinating children according to the group’s extremist ideology at schools and forcibly recruiting them into its ranks.”
• “The U.S. Government has determined that Somalia had or used child soldiers from March 2021 to March 2022. Please see the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.”

South Sudan

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in an internal conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers.”
• “Nongovernment armed groups, including the forces of peace-agreement signatories and other opposition armed groups alike, perpetrated serious human rights abuses, which, according to the United Nations, included […] forced recruitment of children and adults into combat and noncombat roles.”
• “The cease-fire largely held during the year and reduced the forced or voluntary recruitment of soldiers, including child soldiers. Nevertheless, there were reports government and nongovernment forces continued to recruit forcibly and use child soldiers. Since 2013 the UN has verified more than 13,000 serious violations that included 6,300 cases of recruitment and use of children. During the same period, more than 3,700 children associated with armed forces and armed groups were released. While the cessation of hostilities after the 2018 peace agreement reduced the need to recruit children and boost troop numbers, the number of child soldiers was unknown.”
• “The 2018 peace agreement mandated specialized international agencies work with all warring parties to demobilize and reintegrate child soldiers from the SSPDF, the SPLA-IO, elements of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance, the Nuer White Army, and other groups, usually those involved in community defense. There were reports of child-soldier recruitment associated with the cantonment, registration, and screening process under the peace agreement.”

Syria

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers by the regime and other armed actors.”
• “The unstable security situation in areas under the control of armed opposition groups continued to foster an environment in which numerous human rights abuses were committed, including […] recruitment and use of child soldiers.”
• “Armed terrorist groups such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham committed a wide range of abuses, including […] recruitment of child soldiers.”
• “Armed Syrian opposition groups supported by Turkey (Türkiye) in the northern region of the country committed abuses, reportedly targeting Kurdish and Yezidi residents and other civilians, including: […] recruitment and use of child soldiers.”
• “Elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Syrian Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and other minority groups that included members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, reportedly engaged in abuses, including […] recruitment and use of child soldiers.”
• “Several sources documented the continued unlawful recruitment and use of children in combat.”
• “The UN General Assembly’s annual Children and Armed Conflict Report of the Secretary–General, published in June, reported the recruitment and use of 1,296 children (1,258 boys and 38 girls) in the conflict between January and December 2021. According to the report, 1,285 of the children served in combat roles. The report attributed 569 verified cases to the SNA, 380 to HTS, 220 to the YPG and YPG-affiliated Women’s Protection units, and 46 to proregime forces and militias, amongst other actors.”
• “According to the Children and Armed Conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic Report of the Secretary-General from June, the SDF continued progress in the implementation of the 2019 action plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children, resulting in the disengagement of a further 182 children from SDF ranks. However, the report noted increased number of verified cases of recruitment and use of child soldiers by the SDF. The SDF continued to implement an order banning the recruitment and use in combat of anyone younger than 18, ordering the military records office to verify the ages of those currently enlisted, requiring the release of any conscripted children to their families or to educational authorities in the northeast, and ending salary payments. The SDF took disciplinary measures against SDF personnel who violate the commitments under the action plan. During the year the SDF used age assessment procedures to identify 568 minors seeking to join its ranks and continued to develop and refine the age screening mechanism in coordination with the United Nations. According to local media in November, the SDF closed its Office of Child Protection in Armed Conflicts in Hasakah, coinciding with an increase in cases of child recruitment by the Revolutionary Youth Organization. Prior to its closing, the office addressed 313 complaints between January 1 and August 31, according to the SDF.”
• “Reports and evidence from human rights groups and international bodies indicated the Turkish government provided operational, material, and financial support to an armed opposition group in Syria that recruited child soldiers. The COI reported in February that increases in recruitment by and use of children by SNA factions were reported during the second half of 2021.”
• “The U.S. Government has determined that Syria had or used child soldiers from March 2021 to March 2022. Please see the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.”

Turkey

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] support for Syrian opposition groups that perpetrated serious abuses in conflict, including the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers.”
• “According to NGO reports, Turkish-supported Syrian armed opposition groups (TSOs) in northern Syria committed human rights abuses, reportedly targeting Kurdish and Yezidi residents and other civilians, including […] recruitment and use of child soldiers.”
• “The government and some members of Kurdish communities alleged the PKK recruited and forcibly abducted children for conscription. A group of mothers passed their 1,000th day of a continued sit-in protest they began in Diyarbakir in 2019 alleging the PKK had forcibly recruited or kidnapped their children and demanding their return, despite facing numerous threats from the PKK. According to the government, 438 children escaped and left the PKK between January 2014 and June 2020; 37 children were reunited with their families because of the protests.”
• “Human rights groups and international bodies reported the government provided operational, equipment, and financial support to an armed opposition group in Syria that recruited or used child soldiers (see the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/).”

United Arab Emirates

• Child soldiers aren’t mentioned in the UAE Country Report. However, according to the Yemen Country Report: “All parties to the conflict [in Yemen] were implicated in child soldier recruitment and use,” including “UAE-backed STC, Giant Brigades.”

Venezuela

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers.”
• “The U.S. government has determined that the Maduro regime created a permissive environment for nonstate armed groups that had or used child soldiers from March 2021 to March 2022. Please see the Department of State’s Annual Trafficking in Persons Report.”
• “On January 16, Domingo Hernandez Larez, whom the regime styled as the Strategic Operations Commander of FANB, announced a military deployment to the Venezuela-Colombia border in Apure State to control violence that broke out between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) and the ELN. NGOs reported the violence at the border led to the displacement of Indigenous communities to Colombia and Bolivar State. Human Rights Watch reported at least 500 Venezuelans, including Indigenous persons, fled to Vichada, a Colombian town near the border. According to Human Rights Watch, they fled because of the violent clashes but also because of threats of forced recruitment. According to displaced Venezuelans, armed groups on the Venezuelan side threatened to force adolescents and young persons from their homes if they did not join the groups.”
• “Due to continued border closures through much of the year, citizens traveling into and out of the country often had no choice but to use informal border crossings that largely were controlled by illegal armed groups. Activists and NGOs reported that citizens utilizing the crossings faced significant risks, such as […] the forced recruitment of children into armed conflict at the hands of criminal groups.”
• “Illegal mining operations existed in some of the country’s most remote areas, including Bolivar State, where armed groups forcibly recruited youth to join armed criminal groups, forced children to work in gold mines under dangerous conditions, and exploited girls in sex trafficking.”

Yemen

• “Significant human rights issues by all parties to the conflict included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers by all parties to the conflict, particularly the Houthis.”
• “All parties to the conflict were implicated in child soldier recruitment and use. According to a UN report published in April 18 on the UN action plan to strengthen the protection of children affected by armed conflict in Yemen, there were nearly 3,500 verified instances of children being recruited as child soldiers since the conflict began. During the beginning of the truce in April, the Houthis signed a plan with the United Nations to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers, as well as to stop the killing and maiming of children in the conflict. According to HRW, the parties to the conflict had a poor record of upholding commitments made in UN action plans. Houthi leaders previously pledged to end the use of child soldiers in 2012, as did the government in 2014.”
• “The Houthis continued to hold ‘summer camps’ to recruit child soldiers, despite their pledge to cease such recruitment. According to an Arab News report on May 22, government officials and activists alleged the Houthis continued to use the camps to radicalize and indoctrinate minors to become soldiers.”
• “On June 19, the Associated Press also reported that the Houthis were still recruiting children into their military ranks. Two Houthi officials told the news agency that the Houthis recruited several hundred children, including those as young as 10 years, during the prior two months and deployed them to front lines as part of a buildup of forces during the truce that went into effect in April.”
• “Mwatana documented the recruitment and use of approximately 83 children, including at least three girls, by parties to the conflict during the year. Three children were recruited by the government forces; UAE-backed STC, Giant Brigades recruited four children; the west coast joint forces recruited four children; the progovernment Shabwa Defense Forces recruited eight children; Saudi-led coalition forces recruited one child; and the Houthis recruited 63 children, including three girls.”
• “The January POE report documented a case in which an instructor committed sexual violence against a child who underwent military training in a Houthi-run summer camp. The POE also documented several cases in which the Houthis either provided or denied humanitarian assistance to families solely based on whether their children participated in fighting or not.”
• “The lack of a consistent system for birth registration compounded difficulties in proving age, which at times contributed to the recruitment of children into the military.”
• “The U.S. government has determined that the government of Yemen recruited or used child soldiers from April 2021 to March 2022. Please see the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.”

Saudi Arabia

• Child soldiers aren’t mentioned in the Saudi Arabia Country Report. However, according to the Yemen Country Report: “All parties to the conflict [in Yemen] were implicated in child soldier recruitment and use,” including ‘Saudi-led coalition forces.’”

Recruitment or Use by Non-State Armed Groups

Burkina Faso

• “There were no reports of the government recruiting or using child soldiers. Nonetheless, according to UNICEF, children were being increasingly recruited by armed groups and are also victims of violence. UNICEF announced on July 22 that the country’s defense and security forces had transferred some 400 children formerly associated with nonstate armed groups to the civil authorities since 2021. Of these children, approximately 300 were properly reintegrated. Those who were not remain in transit centers. During January local authorities committed 171 children to the care of proper families, local communities, and foster homes. On September 12, the transition government and the United Nations signed an agreement on the treatment of children who are detained by security forces during antiterror operations. The agreement stipulates that security forces must transfer children within three days of first contact to social services agencies for treatment and reintegration, and the children would be entitled to receive food, shelter, medical care, mental health care, and psychosocial support, using technical and financial support from UNICEF.”
• “The government detained minors for alleged association with violent extremist groups, some of whom may be trafficking victims. The number of minors detained during the year was estimated at between five and 15. Authorities held children in a high-security prison separately from adult detainees. They allowed international organizations and NGOs access to provide specialized care, including legal services. In many cases, authorities held detainees, including children, without charge or trial for longer periods than the maximum sentence for the alleged offense; this included terrorism cases. Detainees faced harsh conditions, including inadequate food and water, and poor sanitation, heating, ventilation, lighting, and medical care. On July 22, the chief prosecutor at the country’s counterterrorism tribunal confirmed that cases of five minors among as many as 15 were ready for trial. Trials however were delayed further in part due to security insufficiencies at the courthouse. The country’s judiciary is divided over whether to try minors using juvenile justice procedures, or as adults.”

Cameroon

• “There were no credible allegations that the government recruited or used child soldiers. As in 2021, there were no reported allegations that members of defense and security forces used children for intelligence gathering. Some community neighborhood watch groups, known as vigilance committees, may have used and recruited children as young as 12 in operations against Boko Haram and ISIS-WA, although no specific cases were highlighted, and no statistics were available […] Authorities continued to encourage the creation of vigilance committees.”
• “Boko Haram continued to recruit and use child soldiers, including girls, in its attacks on civilian and military targets.”
• “The government had not established structures to ensure that internally displaced children were protected from recruitment by nonstate armed groups and terrorist organizations.”

Chad

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province.”

Colombia

• “Armed groups, including dissidents of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, National Liberation Army, and drug-trafficking gangs, continued to operate. Armed groups, as well as narcotics traffickers, were reported as significant perpetrators of human rights abuses and violent crimes, including […] unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers.”
• “Illegal armed groups and criminal organizations continued to forcibly recruit and use child soldiers for armed conflict and exploit them in forced labor and sex trafficking.”

India

• “Terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, northeastern states, and Maoist terrorism-affected areas committed serious abuses, including […] recruitment and use of child soldiers.”

Kenya

• “Although there were no reports the government recruited child soldiers, there were reports the al-Shabaab terrorist group recruited children in areas bordering Somalia.”

Mozambique

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful use of child soldiers by nonstate actors.”
• “Human rights organizations and the government stated terrorists committed human rights abuses against civilians that included […] the unlawful use of child soldiers.”
• “Terrorists affiliated with ISIS-Mozambique in Cabo Delgado Province committed acts of terrorism against civilians, including […] use of child soldiers.”
• “In September 2021, Human Rights Watch reported ISIS-Mozambique abducted hundreds of boys as young as 12, trained them as combatants, and forced them to fight against government forces. The Ministry of Defense worked with UNICEF and the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace Security in partnership with the Rwandan Ministry of Defense and its forces to develop procedures for handling children in armed conflict and trained security forces.”

Niger

• “Boko Haram recruited and used children in both combatant and noncombatant roles. There were reports of forced marriages to Boko Haram militants.”
• “Authorities continued to provide services at the Diffa Region defectors’ rehabilitation facility of the Goudamaria Center to alleged child soldiers captured in battle, with the government focusing on transitioning juveniles back into their communities.”
• “In the Diffa Region, Boko Haram and ISIS-WA continued unlawful recruitment of child soldiers among refugees.”

Nigeria

• “Boko Haram-inspired terrorist groups and the Islamic State in West Africa […] recruited and forcefully conscripted child soldiers.”
• “Several military detention facilities continued to operate, including the Giwa Barracks facility in Maiduguri, Borno State.  According to press and NGO reports, the military continued to arrest and remand to military detention facilities, including Giwa Barracks, persons suspected of association with Boko Haram or ISIS-WA.  Human Rights Watch reported in late September the government handover protocol with the United Nations to transfer children taken into military custody on suspicion of involvement with terrorist groups to civilian authorities for reintegration.”
• “Arbitrary arrests reportedly continued in the North East region, and authorities held many individuals in poor conditions. There were reports some of the arrested and detained included children believed to be associated with Boko Haram, some of whom may have been forcibly recruited.”

Sudan

• “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: […] serious abuses in a conflict, including […] unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers.”
• “The law prohibits the recruitment of children and provides criminal penalties for perpetrators.”
• “Allegations persisted that armed opposition movements conscripted and retained child soldiers within their ranks. Many children continued to lack documents verifying their age. Children’s rights organizations believed armed groups exploited this lack of documentation to recruit or retain children. Due to access problems, reports of the use of child soldiers by armed groups were few and often difficult to verify.”
• “Representatives of armed groups reported they did not actively recruit child soldiers. They did not, however, prevent children who volunteered from joining their movements. The armed groups stated the children were stationed primarily in training camps and were not used in combat.”
• “Also see the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.”

Israel, West Bank and Gaza

• “Significant human rights issues included: […] with respect to Hamas: […] unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers.”
• “There were reports Hamas ran militaristic summer camps in Gaza. According to these reports, Hamas offered courses on military training in its schools during youth summer camps to which males ages 14 to 22 could apply. There were no reports that Hamas recruited or used child soldiers.”

Photo: More than 300 child soldiers were officially released by armed groups in Yambio, South Sudan in February 2018. UNMISS/Isaac Billy.

Notes

• 1
  Note: Afghanistan is included in this section due to reports of child soldier recruitment and use by the de facto Taliban government. However, “[t]he United States has not decided whether to recognize the Taliban or any other entity as the government of Afghanistan.”
• 2
  Note: The Country Report itself doesn’t indicate whether Eritrea was involved in the recruitment or use of these children. However, the May 2022 report from the UN special rapporteur that the Country Report references suggests that these children were recruited by the Eritrean armed forces.