The recruitment of children for use in armed conflict is one of the so-called ‘six grave violations’ against children in conflict, as well as one of the most significant consequences of armed conflict in terms of children’s wellbeing. Children in many parts of the world are being recruited by armed groups and forces, assuming both ancillary and combat roles in conflict. Commissioned by Save the Children, PRIO has estimated the number of children who live at risk of being recruited or used in armed conflict during the period 1990–2020. Our estimates suggest that the risk of recruitment has steadily increased over the past 30 years, with the highest recorded number of children at risk in 2020. This policy brief describes the methodology and main descriptive statistics on children at risk of recruitment and use in armed conflict around the world.
Children at Risk of Being Recruited for Armed Conflict, 1990–2020
PRIO Policy Brief
Haer, Roos; Gudrun Østby; Siri Aas Rustad & Andrew Arasmith (2021) Children at Risk of Being Recruited for Armed Conflict, 1990–2020, Conflict Trends, 6. Oslo: PRIO.
Record Number of Children at Risk of Being Recruited by Armed Actors
Today, Save the Children launched its new report Stop the War on Children: A crisis of recruitment. The report is based on a new mapping of children at risk of being recruited or used in armed conflict conducted at PRIO, as well an update of the yearly estimation of children living in conflict zones. The findings are alarming. In 2020, approximately 337 million children, or more than 1 in 8 children, were living in a conflict zone in which one or more actors recruited children. This is the highest recorded number of children at risk of being recruited by armed actors.
Syria and Yemen Top Statistic on Number of Children at Risk of Recruitment by Armed Actors
Save the Children's report Stop the War on Children: A crisis of recruitment shows that, in 2020, almost all children in Syria and Yemen were at risk of recruitment by armed actors.
