Canadian military puts pen to paper and asks the questions; how is a soldier to respond to a child soldier – PB/TK
‘React first’: Canadian army issues guide to dealing with child soldiers – By Ashifa Kassam / May 19 2017
It is a distressing dilemma that has played out on battlefields around the world: how is a soldier to respond when a child points a gun at them?
The Canadian military has become the first in the world to offer guidance to troops who confront child soldiers, in an attempt to help service personnel navigate an issue that can inflict deep psychological wounds.
The document focuses on the complicated tangle of factors behind any encounter with child soldiers: while armed children can pose as much of a threat as adults, underage combatants are considered innocent victims under international law.
But soldiers may have to engage child soldiers with deadly force to defend themselves or others, the document notes.
“It’s extremely tough and it’s emotional,” said Lt Cdr Rory McLay, who oversaw the development of the doctrine, which was announced in March and is being incorporated into training. “If you are faced with somebody pointing a gun at you that is planning to use that gun, it is very, very unfortunate, but you have to react first.”
Continue to theguardian.com article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/may/19/canadian-army-guide-dealing-child-soldiers-react-first
