The Field Guide to Child Soldier Programs in Emergencies is intended for Save the Children staff and partners designing and implementing either a program focused fully on child soldiers, or a child soldiers-focused component of a broader program for war-affected children. This field guide is meant to be useful both for staff that have limited experience with child soldier programming and for experienced staff that wish to improve their understanding of particular aspects of child soldier programs.
The field guide is composed of five parts and two appendices, supplemented by a CD-ROM with relevant reference materials. Section II, The Issues, defines child soldiers, explains their specific strengths and vulnerabilities, discusses the reasons for developing programs that target this group, and presents SC’s principles for child soldier programming. Section III presents a synopsis of the international and national legal and policy frameworks relevant to child soldier programs.
Section IV, Programming Framework, provides a structured summary of programming options in each of the three major areas of child soldier programs: prevention of recruitment, demobilization, and reintegration. Section V discusses the Programming Process and leads the reader through a step-by-step explanation of designing and managing child soldier programs. Section VI, the Conclusion, provides a summary checklist of key issues and questions to consider when implementing child soldier programs.
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