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Child pirate


In keeping with the Paris Principles definition of a child soldier, the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative defines a child pirate' as any person below 18 years of age who is or who has been recruited or used by a pirate gang in any capacity, including children - boys and/or girls - used as gunmen in boarding parties, hostage guards, negotiators, ship captains, messengers, spies or for sexual purposes, whether at sea or on land. It does not only refer to a child who is taking or has taken a direct part in kinetic criminal operations.

Children may volunteer to participate in piratical activities (usually on account of socioeconomic desperation, familial suggestion or peer influence) or they may be forcibly abducted by piratical gangs.

There are a number of reasons why an adult pirate commander would view children as being of significant tactical value. These perceptions render children vulnerable to abduction or forced recruitment. As noted by Carl Conradi:

In other cases, children may volunteer to participate in piratical activities. However, as asserted by the Canada-based Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, "'voluntary' enlistment must be understood in terms of the limited choices and circumstances that may exist in the context of a particular country."’ If a child is extremely poor, has been displaced from his or her home, has been separated from his or her family, has limited educational opportunities or has been exposed to conflict, there is an increased likelihood that he or she will view piracy as a legitimate vehicle for social advancement.

In the absence of specific international legislation on juvenile maritime piracy, the precise age of a child’s criminal responsibility when committing piratical acts differs from country to country. There are, however, a number of international conventions pertaining to either maritime law or children’s rights that may provide some guidance as to the proper handling of child pirates.

While the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982) does not discuss children’s involvement in maritime criminal activities, it does provide a clear definition of piracy. According to Article 101, piracy is:

UNCLOS does recognise universal jurisdiction over the crime of piracy but it only applies to criminal acts that take place on international waters. If an act of piracy occurs within a country’s territorial waters, it is a matter of state jurisdiction and prosecution.

Article 3 of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No. 182, 1999) stipulates that:


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