Involved In The Process And Regulate The Dissemination Of Child Soldiers. Armed Organization Of Social Restraint:

The key question is why some armed groups give up the recruitment and use ofchild soldiers, choose social restraints? The question comes from practical puzzles. Incontemporary civil wars and armed conflicts, children become the attack andrecruitment targets of armed groups. It is a rational and realistic choice for the armedgroups to recruit and use child soldiers. However, more and more armed groupschoose to give up the recruitment and use of child soldiers, keep social restraints.Military strikes, law deterrences and punishments, indirect political pressures andeconomic sanctions have some effects, but these measures could more easily stir upthe revolt and revenge of armed groups, who would recruit more child soldiers.The dissertation proposes a theoretical framework in which participative processis the key concept, to analyze the dynamic and process of armed groups' socialrestraints. Participative process is that actors participate into, sustain and develop thedynamic relationship with social practices and social significances. Social restraintsmean that armed groups with ability and intention to recruit and use child soldiersgive up the recruitment and use of child soldiers, accept international humanitariannorms, and keep self restraints.The dissertation hypothesizes that participative process could help persuadearmed groups to learn and accept new norms, give up the recruitment and use of childsoldiers, and keep restraints. Participative process emphasizes engagement, dialogue,negotiation and process. Through norm transmission mechanisms, including monitorand report, institutional design, participative practices of armed grups in internationaland domestic peace process could promote armed groups to learn new norms,generate senses of trust and cooperation, redefine the meanings and interests, thenlead to gradual changes, and keep behavioral restraints. Furthermore, the degree ofarmed groups' participation would affect the degree of acceptance and obedience.The dissertation chooses armed groups in Burundi and Uganda as comparativecases. CNDD-FDD and PALIPEHUTU-FNL are the main armed groups in Burundi.Through participating international and domestic process, they finally give up therecruitment and use of child soldiers, also release child soldiers. So, they are deletedfrom the "blacklist". The comparative case is Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.There are no direct engagement and contact between the United Nations and LRA,while UPDF's military strike declares the failure of Juba Process. Now, LRA stillforcely recruits and uses child soldiers, and commits many crimes, such as killing,maiming and raping children. According to the cases, participative process could helppersuade the armed groups to give up the recruitment and use of child soldiers, choosesocial restraints; the higher participation in the international and domestic dimensions,the more likely to accept norm.