ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the practices of training children to fight as soldiers and their aides in wars and armed conflicts on the African continent. The term ‘bad children’ used in the title of the chapter has a twofold significance. Every war and every armed conflict ‘always affects a child in a direct or an indirect way. Manfred Liebel advocates for the viewpoint of children participating in armed conflicts, particularly concerning whether they act voluntarily or under duress. Research on children’s and adolescents’ participation in contemporary armed conflicts encompasses a number of interdisciplinary, international studies and analyses, example in the fields of psychology, sociology, political studies, educational studies and childhood studies. The participation of underage recruits in armed conflict, in particular civil war, which has become the most common form of conflict in the twenty-first century, demands interest and consideration on the part of academics and policy makers.
