The International Legal Status of Children in Armed Conflict

Taking into account the active children’s participation in armed conflicts there is a need to study the status of such children. Using data from multiple sources including international treaties, reports of international organizations and case-law we studied the children’s experience in armed conflicts, the rights of children soldiers and the obligations of the Parties of the armed conflict to them, and the responsibility of such children. As a result, there were set out the children’s status, the activity of the determination’s principles, and found the possibility of prosecuting children for international crimes. Understanding the status of children in the situation of an armed conflict let the Parties prove the rules of combatants’ conduct in confrontation with armed children. This fact allows reducing the number of deaths among children ensuring them a normal and stable future.