During recent armed conflicts - such as those in Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, and
Rwanda - public attention was repeatedly caught by images of children, both as
civilians and as soldiers. Those conflicts, like so many others, were vivid
reminders that where there is armed conflict there are also, almost always,
children. Soldiers and officers fulfil many roles in relation to such children -
sometimes as combatants, sometimes as humanitarian workers, sometimes as protectors,
and/or sometimes as enemies and abusers.

A new book entitled 'Military Training and Children in Armed Conflict: Law, Policy
and Practice', published last month and written by Jenny Kuper, aims to address
three main questions: what are the obligations of officers of national armed forces
in relation to children, either civilians or combatants, whom they or those under
their command may encounter while participating in situations of armed conflict? How
realistic and achievable are these obligations? How can compliance with them be
encouraged, monitored, and/or enforced? The book examines these questions in the
context of military training. In doing so, it has another inextricably linked aim:
to see if there are ways in which the training of officers can improve the
protection of children in armed conflict situations, in accordance with
international law and policy.

It is intended for use particularly by those involved in training of national armed
forces, including officers themselves, and members of governments, non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and inter-governmental organisations. It is hoped that it will
also be of interest to lawyers, academics and others concerned with 'child rights'
and related law and policy. It contains examples of actual training materials that
can be modified for use in different countries and contexts.[Source: CRIN]

For more information, contact:
Jenny Kuper, Author
London School of Economics
Law Department and Development Studies Institute
Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK
Tel: + 44 20 7405 7686
Website: http://www.lse.ac.uk