Protection of Children in Armed Conflicts in the context of International Instruments

Children are the true symbols of defenselessness in armed conflicts, to whom States have paid specific attention. International society has taken remarkable measures to protect the rights of children in armed conflicts, both on international and regional scales. Some of the related international instruments are: Declaration of the Rights of the Children (1959), Convention on the Rights of Children (1989), Geneva Convention IV Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949), 1977 Protocols I and II additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, and the Additional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Children, adopted in 2000. There are also regional instruments, including African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1990), European Social Charter (1996), African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (2009), and American Convention on Human Rights (1969). The measures taken reveal the serious vulnerability of children in armed conflicts. A few States, especially African States, still do not honor their obligations to protect children. This article tries to stress the importance of the rights of children by investigating related international and regional instruments. Regarding the numerous instruments protective of the rights of children in armed conflicts, it can be concluded that the rights of children with respect to armed conflicts have been accepted worldwide, and therefore have entered into international customary law.