Assessing the Effectiveness of the United Nations Human Rights System at Putting an End to the Practice of Child Soldiering

Assessing the Effectiveness of the United Nations Human Rights System at Putting an End to the Practice of Child Soldiering

Child soldiers have been a growing international concern since the 1990s, with the United Na­tions human rights system leading the effort to address this human rights issue. While a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of this system at putting an end to the practice of child soldiering has yet to be conducted, existing research on the topic suggests it has been ineffective. This proposal details a request to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the UN human rights system at putting an end to the practice of child soldiering. To assess effectiveness, it proposes to consider thesystem’s success in preventingthe use of child soldiers and enforcingthe Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC)—the main human rights treaty prohibiting child soldiers. It expects to conclude the system might have been effective at preventing the use of child soldiers and has been somewhat effective at enforcing the OPAC. Nevertheless, it expects to ultimately conclude the system has been ineffectiveat putting an end to the practice of child soldiering. The information gleaned from this project is likely to help determine the best practices for the system moving forward in addressing this issue.