Legal Protection of Children from Recruitment and Participation in Hostilities in the Light of the Provisions of the International Law and Iraqi National Legislations

Children are the most community members who are at risk of getting harm and be in danger at the time of armed conflicts, and often the parties of the conflicts exploit children by recruiting them and engaging them in hostilities. This phenomenon is one of the serious violations done by terrorist groups that emerged after 2003 and suffered by Iraqi children. This research falls into three parts. The first part deals with the recruitment and involvement of children in hostilities and the resulted consequences. The second part sheds light on the international guarantees for the protection of children from recruitment and participation in hostilities. The third part describes the legal protection of children from recruitment and participation in hostilities in the light of Iraqi legislations. The research ends up with the conclusions as well as recommendations that may contribute to enhancing the protection of children involved in armed conflicts