International Order and Human Security in Asia and Africa

[2G203] Deadly Aid:Does foreign aid deter child recruitment in conflict zones?

*YunJung Yang¹ (1. Waseda Institute for Advanced Study)

Keywords:child soldier, rebel group, foreign aid

Does international aid play a role in preventing human rights violations during armed conflict? Despite the provision of sustained international assistance, numerous countries prone to conflict, particularly in Africa, have continued to experience severe armed conflicts in recent times. The conventional wisdom is that international aid may protect human rights abuses in conflict zones and even terminate armed conflicts. However, this paper addresses the contrary view that international aid sometimes accelerates conflict and even increases the likelihood of human rights violations, namely child soldiering in particular. This research employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating statistical analysis with illustrative case studies, to investigate the impact of foreign aid on child recruitment by armed groups during armed conflicts. The illustrative analysis utilizes the case of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda to complement the quantitative findings. Ultimately, this study contributes toward a re-examination of the potential consequences that international assistance may have, particularly in regions experiencing conflict. It seeks to elucidate the manner in which external involvement may influence the recruiting of children by rebel groups.