International law prohibits anyone under 18 serving in armed forces, and considers it a war crime for anyone under 15 to fight. Nevertheless, according to Amnesty International around 21,000 children were exploited as child soldiers in Liberia’s civil war. It estimates over 100,000 children are soldiers worldwide.

UNICEF’s Cape Town Principles say child soldiers are not limited to those who bear arms but also include anyone under the age of 18 recruited by “regular or irregular armed forces” as cooks, porters, messengers or for forced marriages and sexual purposes.

Child soldiers report to Amnesty International that in addition to being forced to participate in fighting, they have often committed acts of violence against other children, including abduction and rape. 

Young girls face the threat of prostitution and are so often victimized by teachers that billboards throughout Liberia attempt awareness.

Their plight is drawing the world's attention. At the recent Berlin Film Festival, one of the nominees was Canadian director Kim Nguyen’s War Witch, about a 12-year-old girl in Congo, abducted from her village by vicious armed rebels and forced to wage war as a child soldier. Click here to see a trailer of the film.

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