The conscription or enlistment of children under the age of fifteen into national armed forces or armed groups, or their use to participate actively in hostilities, including as combatants, porters, cooks or for sexual purposes. It is prosecutable as a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which secured its first ever conviction on this charge in the case of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo in 2012, and is separately addressed by the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The practice has been documented in numerous conflicts across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Facts
Typical PenaltyLubanga was sentenced by the ICC to a total of 14 years of imprisonment on 10 July 2012. 1 Notable ExampleThomas Lubanga Dyilo, convicted by the International Criminal Court on 14 March 2012 of conscripting and enlisting children under fifteen and using them in hostilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 1 Classification
Offense GradeSerious or Indictable Offense 1 Sources
1. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo (Wikipedia)
Conviction for Child Soldiers
Lubanga was found guilty of the war crime of "conscripting and enlisting minors under the age of fifteen years and using them to participate actively in hostilities."
Sentence
Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced Lubanga to a total period of 14 years of imprisonment.
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