Sasha Nagy writes: A reader raised this point, which I think is an interesting one. With regard to domestic terrorism, do you draw a distinction between a youth in a war zone who has a rifle thrust into their arm and a radicalized youth in Britain or Canada who is enticed into a movement in which violence is the objective? I guess what I am getting at, is as war changes, does the definition of a child soldier change too?
Dr. Samantha Nutt: According to the Capetown Principles, the widely accepted, international definition of a child soldier is "any person under the age of 18 who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed group in any capacity, including to but not limited to cooks, porters...". The definition also includes girls. At the same time, we need to distinguish between international legal instruments and domestic law. In this situation, a youth participating in a terrorist activity would be subject to the norms and standards in the country in which the act of terrorism takes place.
Arlinda D from Barrie writes: Thank you Dr. Nutt for taking the time to discuss this issue with Globe and Mail readers, I am currently a student who is writing a report on child soldiers. My question for you is, are former child soldiers usually receptive and open to rehabilitation or are they far too 'brainwashed' by their militia to step away from that lifestyle?
Dr. Samantha Nutt: Thank you Arlinda for your question. It really depends on the individual child and the circumstances. Some have neither the interest nor the inclination to be rehabilitated. But the vast majority, in my experience, do. Those are the kids that need to be targeted and supported. The challenge is that when a country and a conflict slip from the radar it can be very hard to ensure that the resources and the programs are in place to support their recovery, which is inevitably a long term process.
Sasha Nagy writes: Dr. Nutt: Thanks so much for your time. In closing, is there anything you would like to add that perhaps was not raised.
Also, thanks to Dray Perenic of Toronto for passing on the following announcement.
If you are interested in Dr. Samantha Nutt and her work, she will be speaking at Hart House, University of Toronto on March 25th delivering the 2008 Hancock Lecture entitled The World as Our Backyard: Individual Responsibility for a Global Society. This is a free event but you need a ticket. Tickets are available at www.uofttix.ca or 416-978-8849.
Dr. Samantha Nutt: I would encourage your readers to learn more about what they can do to support our work by visiting our website or emailing us at info@warchild.ca Thank you for this opportunity!
