Protection gaps: child soldier rehabilitaion and nilitarized governance in sri lanka/ Kate MacFarlane

Child soldier disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) practice has a strong normative commitment to protect children from harm and violence. However, there exist policy and research knowledge gaps in comprehending the translation of such norms in meeting the social and protective needs of children. The Sri Lankan case-study demonstrates that the DDR programme resulted in the re-calibration of social and political control over child and adult participants. The article advances a framework to account for a generational power dynamic of adult–child relations, and the politics of institutionalized protection to account for children's formal rehabilitation and return experiences.

CONFLICT, SECURITY, CHILD SOLDIER, NEWARTICLS