International protection of children in armed conflicts

Children are particularly vulnerable individuals and therefore, they have particular rights under international law that recognize their special need for protection. Armed conflicts constitute the biggest threat to them. I have chosen this topic for admiring the strength of children affected by armed conflicts to face all the problems brought by armed conflicts. On the other hand, children are indispensable in reconciliation and reconstruction of society. The aim of the thesis is to describe and analyze the protection provided by law to the children affected by armed conflicts and the application of those provisions. Chapter One deals with these questions. Chapter Two is introductory and is subdivided into five parts. Part One describes the relation between international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law and their applicability. Part Two deals with the absence of universally applicable definition of "armed conflict" and the applicability of legal instruments. Part Three briefly introduces basic ideas of protection of children in armed conflicts. Part Four defines the term "child" and explains possible problems of universally accepted definition. Part Five analyzes contemporary armed conflicts and the impact on children, whether they participate (directly or indirectly) in..