Targeted by terrorists : child recruitment, exploitation and reintegration in Indonesia, Iraq and Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out in Indonesia, Iraq and Nigeria with the aim of increasing knowledge regarding children associated with groups designated “terrorist” (henceforth terrorist groups). Children’s association with such groups and their abduction, recruitment, use and exploitation by them has gained greater visibility in recent years, with reports indicating that thousands of children are affected worldwide. The groups groom and indoctrinate them, use them as servants, sexually abuse and exploit them, and directly involve them in fighting and various auxiliary activities including serving as spies and informants. Despite the growing visibility of this group of children who are experiencing significant violations of their rights, there is a lack of reliable and comparable data and evidence about the phenomenon, which makes developing effective policies and programmatic responses challenging. In particular, there is limited research drawing on the direct experiences of these children in their own voices, due to the difficulty of accessing, collecting, and analyzing relevant data, especially in conflict contexts. The political sensitivities associated with terrorism and the gaps and challenges in the methods used for data collection, situation analysis, and informationsharing add to the difficulties. The lack of evidence-based research has significant implications for the identification of effective responses, including in policy and programmes. There is an urgent need to address how the security, justice, child-protection, development, and humanitarian sectors can effectively prevent and respond to the recruitment and exploitation of children by terrorist groups. This research therefore investigates the ways in which specific aspects of terrorist groups’ modus operandi and related State responses pose unique protection risks for children, and why specialized policies and programmes may be required. The research aims to identify the drivers and manifestations of children’s association with terrorist groups in specific contexts, examine whether and how terrorist groups pose unique protection risks for children, and analyze existing interventions responding to this phenomenon. It explores the issues across three axes of investigation: child association, responses from and coordination among actors, and impact of the representation of children on policy.