This article considers Article 38 of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which concerns the prevention of children’s active participation in armed hostilities as soldiers. It is argued that if this article is to move from ratification to practical implementation there should be consideration of the contexts that influence the phenomenon of child soldiers. Two contexts are identified: the first is state crisis, and the second is local influences on children’s participation in armed conflict. The influence of both of these on the phenomenon of child soldiers is shown in the case of young fighters in the Teso region of Uganda. At both levels, there are global processes that undermine application of the CRC. It is argued that effective implementation of the CRC will be successful when it is considered less as a global charter and more as needing to be based in knowledge about the realities that frame children’s lives.
