Combatants' Children: Conflict and Resilience in Northern Ireland

Interdisciplinary Journal of Human Rights Law 6(1) 2011-12: 61-82

23 Pages Posted: 27 Jul 2015

See all articles by Bill Rolston

Bill Rolston

University of Ulster - Transitional Justice Institute

Date Written: July 25, 2011

Abstract

This article argues that international humanitarian and human rights law follow a hegemonic Western social construction which, in practice, sees childhood as precious, vulnerable and in need of adult protection. Thus, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is highly explicit about protecting children from the ravages of modern war, whether as victims or as child soldiers. The agency of such children, however, is not easily accommodated within this paradigm. Children who are exposed to situations such as violence and war, far removed from the ideal of childhood, are seen to be traumatized by their experiences. This article explores and problematizes that view through the words of twenty people in Northern Ireland whose parents were combatants in illegal military organizations. It concludes that coping mechanisms depend in part on the sociopolitical context which makes it possible for people — including children — to believe that it is possible to cope.

Keywords: Children, conflict, resilience, combatants, Northern Ireland

Suggested Citation

Rolston, Bill, Combatants' Children: Conflict and Resilience in Northern Ireland (July 25, 2011). Interdisciplinary Journal of Human Rights Law 6(1) 2011-12: 61-82, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2635911

Bill Rolston (Contact Author)

University of Ulster - Transitional Justice Institute ( email )

Shore Road
Newtownabbey, County Antrim BT37 OQB
Northern Ireland

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