La protezione speciale garantita ai minori dal sistema delle Nazioni Unite e il contrasto al loro impiego nei conflitti armati

The involvement of children in armed conflict is an historic problem in the international community. Their participation in war is considered as a violation of International Law. In fact, international community protects children and their special needs as mentioned in many acts adopted since 1924. In this sense, the entire system of the United Nations has played a fundamental role in the creation of a legal framework that, starting with the protection of youth in general, has led to a more specific regulation on this matter. Starting from an analysis of International Law in the field of children in general, and specifically in the time of war, the aim of this is paper is to illustrate how relevant the UN system has been in this field. An important part is played by international criminal tribunals, such as the Sierra Leone one, which has contributed to the creation of a general duty to avoid the involvement of children in war.