Statement of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, on the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers

As Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, my mandate is to investigate and prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes - including the crime of recruiting child soldiers and using them in hostilities.

Using children to fight wars is not a cultural practice. It is not an inevitable by-product of war. It is not the sad but inescapable consequence of poverty. It is a terrible crime. It routinely involves terrorising and abducting young children and putting them through brutal rites of initiation, forcing them to kill or be executed, to kill community members, sometimes even their own family members.  It denies the most vulnerable members of our society the right to live and learn and play, as children.

My Office endeavours to address the plight of child soldiers, by systematically investigating and prosecuting the war crime of enlisting and conscripting children under the age of 15 and using them to participate actively in hostilities.

These crimes must stop and the perpetrators must be held accountable. We cannot stand by while such crimes against children are committed, not today, not ever.  

For further information, please contact [email protected].