Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
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| Founded | May 1998 (Incorporated on April 9, 2002) |
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| Founder | Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Save the Children Alliance, Jesuit Refugee Service, Quaker United Nations Office, Terre des Hommes |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Focus | Human rights, Children's Rights |
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Area served
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World wide |
| Method | Research, public education, advocacy |
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Key people
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Co-Directors: Isabelle Guitard (Director of Programmes) and Carol Steel (Director of Operations) Trustees: Veronica Yates (Chair), Duncan Barnet, Julie Light, Alison Wallace, Paul Gready, Théo Boutruche, Véronique Aubert, Janet Anderson and Christine Watkins |
| Website | child-soldiers.org |
Co-Directors: Isabelle Guitard (Director of Programmes) and Carol Steel (Director of Operations)
Child Soldiers International, formerly the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, is a UK-based non-governmental organization that works to prevent the recruitment, use and exploitation of children by armed forces and groups.
Child Soldiers International envisions a world where all children grow up realising their full potential and enjoying all their human rights. For this to be possible, Child Soldiers International is working to prevent armed forces and groups from recruiting, using and exploiting children.
Formerly the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, Child Soldiers International was founded in 1998 by leading human rights and humanitarian organisations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Save the Children. Its purpose was to campaign for the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC) – a human rights treaty that prohibits the use of children in armed conflict and raises the age of military recruitment. The treaty was adopted in 2000 and entered into force on 12 February 2002. Child Soldiers International continues to promote adherence to the Optional Protocol and other relevant human rights standards.
Since then, Child Soldiers International has continued to promote the adoption and implementation of international legal standards protecting children from military recruitment or use in hostilities.
Child Soldiers International has a London headquarters and conducts research, advocacy and capacity building in countries across the world. Recent programmes have included: Central African Republic; Democratic Republic of Congo; Afghanistan; India; Myanmar; Thailand; and United Kingdom.
Child Soldiers International delivers research findings and policy recommendations to the United Nations Security Council in New York and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, Switzerland. According to UN documents, in relation to the adoption and enforcement of the , Child Soldiers International plays "a key role in ensuring implementation at every level."
Child Soldiers International and UNICEF published the Guide to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in December 2003. The guide summarizes the process of the treaty's adoption, its fundamental provisions, and recommends that certain activities be undertaken to ensure its full enforcement. It is a practical tool written to aid other NGOs, humanitarian groups, and legislative bodies in implementing OPAC’s standards.
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