This book deals with child soldiers' involvement in crimes under international law. Child
soldiers are often victims of grave human rights abuses and yet in some cases they also
participate actively in inflicting violence upon others. Nonetheless the international
discourse on child soldiers often tends to ignore the latter dimension of children's
involvement in armed conflict and instead focuses exclusively on their role as victims.While it
might seem as though the discourse is therefore beneficial for child soldiers as it protects
them from blame and responsibility it is important to realize that the so-called passive
victim narrative entails various adverse consequences which can hinder the successful
reintegration of child soldiers into their families communities and societies. This book aims
to address this dilemma. First the available options for dealing with child soldiers'
participation in crimes under international law such as transitional justice and criminal
justice and their shortcomings are analyzed in depth. Subsequently a new approach is developed
towards achieving accountability in a child-adequate way which is called restorative
transitional justice.This book is in the first place aimed at researchers with an interest in
child soldiers children and armed conflict as well as international criminal law
transitional justice juvenile justice restorative justice children's rights and
international human rights law. Secondly professionals working on issues of transitional
justice juvenile justice international criminal law children's rights and the reintegration
of child soldiers will also find the subject matter of great relevance to their practice.Dr.
Leonie Steinl LL.M. (Columbia) is a Researcher and Lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the
Humboldt-Universität in Berlin.
