Children Associated with Fighting Forces (CAFFs)

Children Associated with Fighting Forces (CAFFs) and Small Arms

Small Arms Survey Publications

Wille, Christina. 2005. "Children Associated with Fighting Forces (CAFF) and Small Arms in the Mano River Union (MRU)". In Armed Groups, Guns and Human Security in the ECOWAS Region. Eds. Nicolas Florquin and Eric G. Berman.


Other Articles, Books and Journals


Honwana, Alcinda.  2006.  'Child Soldiers in Africa'.  University of Pennsylvania Pres: Philadelphia.

Pinheiro, Paulo Sergio.  2006. 'World Report on Violence Against Children.' United Nations Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children.

Singer, P.W. 2006.  'Children at War'. University of California Press: Berkley, California.

Wessels, Michael. 2006.  'Child Soldiers from Violence to Protection.' Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts and London England.

Rose, David M. 2005.  'Armies of the Young: Child Soldiers in War and Terrorism.' Rutgers University Press: New Brunswick, New Jersey and London.

Specht, Irma, Larry Attree, and Yvonne Kemper. 2005. "Children and Armed Conflict: The Response of the EU". In UNIDIR, Humanitarian Perspective of SALW and Explosive Remnants of War. Geneva: UNIDIR.

Brett, Rachel and Irma Specht. 2004.  'Young Soldiers: Why they choose to fight.'  Lynne Rienner Publishers and ILO: Boulder, Colorado.

Cohn, Ilene and Guy S. Goodwin-Gill. 1994, 2003.  'Child Soldiers: The role of Children in Armed Conflict.' Clarendon Press: Oxford.


International Documents

The Paris principles:'Pprinciples and guidelines on children
Associated with armed forces or armed groups.' February 2007.

Convention on the Rights of the Child. 2000. Optional Protocol to the Convention of the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.

UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund). 1997. Cape Town Principles and Best Practices on the Recruitment of Children into the Armed Forces and on Demobilization and Social Reintegration of CAFF in Africa. Cape Town: UNICEF. 27-30 April.


Further Resources

Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
UNICEF, Child Soldiers
Amnesty International page on Child Soldiers
Human Rights Watch page on Child Soldiers