Pakistan is an emerging middle power within the East Asia hemisphere quickly on the incline to becoming one of the world’s largest militaries and economic power in the East. However, for all its recent growth, a multitude of issues still plague the nation; terrorism, corruption, religious strife, illiteracy and poverty are all issues that remain, including the use of child soldiers in armed civil and religious conflict. Let’s take a look at the history of child soldiers in Pakistan and what steps the government has taken to eliminate and reduce the issue.

The Past

According to UNICEF, conflict parties around the world recruited more than 105,000 children between 2005 and 2005 and that number could be “much higher than reported.” It is hard to quantify just how responsible Pakistan is to these numbers due to the lack of statistics surrounding the subject, but that does not detract from its role in the involvement of child soldiering.

Pakistan struggles with the problem of active recruitment from factions and parties that are not associated with an official government. These militant groups work on cross-border recruitment strategies to bolster their ranks. The Taliban in Afghanistan forced recruitment through madrassas, Islamic seminary groups acting to radicalize the children. Similar situations arise in the bordering regions in Kashmir and Jammu, where party elders recruit teenagers and subject them to informal combat training. The elders push the envelope further as after combat training, they monitor the recruits at home to make sure that they are following the recruitment program.

In Pakistan, internal recruitment independent of outside parties was also going strong. The Mohajir Quami Movement (MQM) represents the Mohajir community in Pakistan but concurrently engages in periodic violence to resolve religious disputes. It is unknown how many numbered the ranks of MQM in the early 20th century, but the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers reported that a degree of their number did consist of underage soldiers.

Socioeconomic Realities

Forced recruitment is not the only underlying cause of the prevalence of child soldiers in Pakistan: many choose to enlist. The reasons vary according to political circumstances and geographical and socioeconomic realities and can explain voluntary recruitment. In 2018, 21.9% of people in Pakistan lived in poverty. Poverty was prevalent while economic opportunity was scarce and many children did not have viable options to support themselves. The onset of poverty and financial instability led many children to resort to becoming child soldiers as a way to escape the poverty of Pakistan.

To further the issue, an increased number of underage soldiers is a result of the legislation and constitution of Pakistan. Under Article 39 of the 1973 Pakistan Constitution, “the state shall enable people from all parts of Pakistan to participate in the Armed Forces of Pakistan.” The law of Pakistan meant that as long as one volunteered, they could serve, independent of a legal and required age. As the U.N. reported in Geneva in 1997, the legal age [was] between 17 and 22 for officers and between 16 and 25 for soldiers, according to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers.

The constitutional mandate of 16 being the minimum age to serve in an official capacity paired with the active recruitment of militants through madrassas and grievance causes created a pipeline of child soldiers, however, in a more progressive turn, the government has slowly decreased the amount of child soldiers in Pakistan.

Government’s Initiatives

The Pakistani government is all too aware of their issues and has taken the first steps to overcome the issue of recruitment. Beginning with the problem of madrassas and radicalization of religion for terrorism, the Pakistani military announced it would bring more than 30,000 religious schools under government control in 2019. Many non-state armed groups used these schools to forcibly recruit children. By recognizing the issue of indoctrination at a young age from outside militants, the government is protecting the children and giving them an opportunity for education without the possibility of forced recruitment for armed conflict.

Other initiatives can help increase the education retention rate and act as a deterrent to becoming child soldiers voluntarily. There are multiple options for rehabilitating and inclusion besides forced participation in school. Programs like sports and recreation centers can keep kids engaged and able to experience childhood without the ramifications of militant group recruitment. Additionally, the Pakistani government can implement reintegration centers to destigmatize and de-radicalize former child soldiers. By addressing their issues, accepting them as part of society and taking steps towards integration, the rate of child soldiers will drop dramatically.

Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA)

In 2008, the U.S. federal government passed the Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA). This Act had one major goal: to combat the recruitment or use of children as soldiers by publicly identifying countries that engage in this practice. Since its inception, Pakistan has appeared on the CSPA list every year. However, in 2021, Pakistan, notably, was removed from the list, no longer being seen as a country that engages and participates in the practice of child soldiers. The justification waiver the President released upon the removal of Pakistan from the CSPA list relates as follows: maintaining “security assistance to Pakistan subject to the CSPA restriction supports critical U.S. objectives of promoting regional stability and counterterrorism in South Asia,” according to the Stimson Center.

Pakistan, a country once embroiled in political turmoil and radicalization has taken the first steps to legitimize itself. Taking the initiative to protect the education of children, increasing education rates and the protection of children shows that leadership is reforming the problems of the past. Children are no longer subjected to the active recruitment practices of internal militants and outside organizations. Stability within the region provided by the Pakistani military has created a wave of progression that is slowly eradicating the practice of child soldiers in Pakistan, serving as an example to other countries within the region and the globe.

– Luke Scroggins

Luke is based in Tolar, TX, USA and focuses on World News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr