The Sexual Abuse of African Boy Soldiers by Male and Female Offenders: the Need for an International Criminal Law Response

Abstract

The sexual abuse of boy soldiers is a matter that has unfortunately not received the judicial and academic attention it deserves. Boy soldiers have been sexually abused not only by male commanders but also female commanders and other offenders. International Criminal Law has opted to focus on the prosecution of those most responsible for committing sexual violence against women and children. Boys are often mentioned in passing. This article challenges this view. It does so by looking at a special case in Northern Uganda where boy soldiers in the Lord’s Resistance Army was sexually abused. The article then examines several cases where International Courts have dealt with the sexual abuse of males, since the abuse of boy soldiers have not been adjudicated internationally. The article then looks at the reasons why there is a silence among those boys who are sexually abused and recommendations are proffered.