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48-565: STOC may refer to: Serbian True Orthodox Church Symposium on Theory of Computing Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title STOC . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=STOC&oldid=1088527665 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

96-495: A rite of passage to maturity. Child soldiers who survive armed conflict frequently develop psychiatric illness, poor literacy and numeracy , and behavioral problems such as heightened aggression , which together lead to an increased risk of unemployment and poverty in adulthood. Research in the United Kingdom has found that the enlistment and training of adolescent children, even when they are not sent to war,

144-610: A 2010 interview, hegumenia of Novi Stjenik monastery stated that "there is 350 of us, but the number of sympathizers is much larger". The relationships of the STOC and the mainstream Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) have been tense. The SOC considers the members of the church to be "schismatics, fundamentalists and heretics". In an article in Svetosavlje , official magazine of the SOC, bishop Atanasije Jevtić analyzed history and theology of

192-546: A cheap and accessible resource for military organisations. In a 2004 study of children in military organisations around the world, Rachel Brett and Irma Specht pointed to a complex of factors that incentivise children to join military organisations, particularly: The following testimony from a child recruited by the Cambodian armed forces in the 1990s is typical of many children's motivations for joining up: I joined because my parents lacked food and I had no school ... I

240-576: A direct part in hostilities and to cease recruitment below the age of 16. As most states have now opted into OPAC, the global trend has been towards reserving military recruitment to adulthood, known as the Straight-18 standard. Nonetheless, as of 2018 , children aged under 18 were still being recruited and trained for military purposes in 46 countries. Most of these states recruit from age 17, fewer than 20 recruit from age 16, and an unknown, smaller number, recruit younger children. As of 2022 ,

288-546: A framework of restorative justice and social rehabilitation, consistent with international law which offers children special protection through numerous agreements and principles. This principle was reflected in the Court's statute, which did not rule out prosecution but emphasised the need to rehabilitate and reintegrate former child soldiers. David Crane , the first Chief Prosecutor of the Sierra Leone tribunal, interpreted

336-467: A high risk of poverty and lasting unemployment in adulthood. Further harm is caused when armed forces and groups detain child recruits. Children are often detained without sufficient food, medical care, or under other inhumane conditions, and some experience physical and sexual torture. Some are captured with their families, or detained due to one of their family members' activity. Lawyers and relatives are frequently banned from any court hearing. While

384-462: A high-stress environment, particularly those from a background of childhood adversity. It finds in particular that the prolonged stressors of military training are likely to aggravate pre-existing mental health problems and hamper healthy neurological development. Military settings are characterized by elevated rates of bullying , particularly by instructors. In the UK between 2014 and 2020, for example,

432-488: A job to do because I don't have any skills. I don't know what I'll do ... Some leaders of armed groups have claimed that children, despite their underdevelopment, bring their own qualities as combatants to a fighting unit, often being remarkably fearless, agile and hardy. The global proliferation of light automatic weapons, which children can easily handle, has also made the use of children as direct combatants more viable. Child soldiers who survive armed conflict face

480-718: A markedly elevated risk of debilitating psychiatric illness, poor literacy and numeracy, and behavioural problems. Research in Palestine and Uganda, for example, has found that more than half of former child soldiers showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and nearly nine in ten in Uganda screened positive for depressed mood . Researchers in Palestine also found that children exposed to high levels of violence in armed conflict were substantially more likely than other children to exhibit aggression and anti-social behaviour . The combined impact of these effects typically includes

528-404: A monk community on Fruška Gora mountain, near Nova Ravanica monastery. The movement follows the "old calendarist" doctrines of rejecting all perceived attempts at reform of the church, particularly ecumenism and other contacts with "heretics", baptism by aspersion and acceptance of Gregorian calendar . As of 2014, the number of followers of the church is estimated to several hundred. In

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576-416: A recruit in the air and literally throws him into the wall. A corporal smacks me full-force around the head—I've got my helmet on but he hits me so hard that I'm knocked right over, I mean this man's about 40 and I'm maybe 17 by then. A bit later, we're crawling through mud and a corporal grabs me and drags me along the ground, half-way across a field. When he lets go I'm in that much pain that I'm whimpering on

624-525: A rehabilitation program. In her letter she said that Khadr represented the "classic child soldier narrative: recruited by unscrupulous groups to undertake actions at the bidding of adults to fight battles they barely understand". Children's rights advocates were left frustrated after the final text of the convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) did not prohibit the military recruitment of all children under

672-708: Is approved by the United Nations General Assembly. It does not only refer to a child who is taking or has taken a direct part in hostilities. The Additional Protocols to the 1949 Geneva Conventions (1977, Art. 77.2), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (2002) all forbid state armed forces and non-state armed groups from using children under

720-519: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Serbian True Orthodox Church The Serbian True Orthodox Church originated in the 1990s, when three Serb monks returned from the Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos , a stronghold of Greek Old Calendarists . Among them was Nemanja Stanković, who later took the church name Akakije. In 1996 Akakije returned to Serbia and established

768-424: Is often accompanied by a higher risk of suicide , stress-related mental disorders , alcohol abuse , and violent behavior. Since the 1960s, a number of treaties have successfully reduced the recruitment and use of children worldwide. Nonetheless, around a quarter of armed forces worldwide, particularly those of third-world nations , still train adolescent children for military service, while elsewhere,

816-630: The Charter. None of the above treaties either explicitly forbids the indirect participation of children in "hostilities", or from contributing to a military operation in a stand-off position (i.e. away from hostilities). OPAC requires governments to demobilise children within their jurisdiction who have been recruited or used in hostilities and to provide assistance for their physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration. Under war, civil unrest, armed conflict and other emergency situations, children and youths are also offered protection under

864-890: The First and Second World Wars. Children continued to be used throughout the 20th and early 21st century on every continent, with concentrations in parts of Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Only since the turn of the millennium have international efforts begun to limit and reduce the military use of children. The adoption in 2000 of the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC) committed states who ratified it to "take all feasible measures" to ensure that no child takes

912-539: The Novi Stjenik monastery, stated that the camp was organized by a model of similar camps in Russia, as well as scouting camps worldwide, that the children were taught outdoor survival skills and self-defense, and the shooting training was only one day of a 10-day course. The police and the public prosecutor of the city of Bor started an investigation of the case. Children in the military Children in

960-514: The Paris Principles state that children who participate in armed conflict should be regarded first as victims, even if they may also be perpetrators: ... [those] who are accused of crimes under international law allegedly committed while they were associated with armed forces or armed groups should be considered primarily as victims of offenses against international law; not only as perpetrators. They must be treated by international law in

1008-430: The Rights of the Child defines a child as any person under the age of 18. The Paris Principles define a child associated with an armed force or group as: ...any person below 18 years of age who is or who has been recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers, spies or for sexual purposes. The document

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1056-606: The STOC, refuting their "theological blunders", as he puts it. In 2007, sisterhood of Stjenik monastery near Čačak refused loyalty to the Serbian Orthodox Church after it signed the Ecumenic Charter agreeing to hold a Great Christian Communion in Niš in 2013. After they were expelled from the monastery, they founded a new one, called "Novi Stjenik", in remote Kučaj mountains in eastern Serbia. In 2010,

1104-534: The Serbian True Orthodox Church organized the second "Holy Lazar Orthodox Youth Camp" on Kučaj mountains, that gathered a number of 12- to 18-year-olds. They came in the focus of Serbian public after it was revealed that the children were taught how to operate air-soft replicas of Kalashnikov rifles , among other military skills. The organizers were criticized of child recruitment and child abuse. Bishop Akakije and Efrosinija, hegumenia of

1152-876: The UN identified 12 countries where children were widely used by such groups: Colombia in South America; Central African Republic , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Mali , Somalia , South Sudan , and Sudan in Africa; Lebanon and Palestine in the Middle East; Syria and Yemen in Western Asia; Afghanistan in Central Asia; and Myanmar in South East Asia. Not all armed groups use children and approximately 60 have entered agreements to reduce or end

1200-510: The US and the UK, higher risk of alcohol misuse and higher risk of violent behaviour, relative to recruits' pre-military experience. Military academics in the US have characterized military training as "intense indoctrination" in conditions of sustained stress, the primary purpose of which is to establish the unconditional and immediate obedience of recruits. The research literature has found that adolescents are more vulnerable than adults to

1248-744: The United Nations Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict . To accommodate the proper disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former members of armed groups, the United Nations started the Integrated DDR Standards in 2006. Opinion is currently divided over whether children should be prosecuted for war crimes. International law does not prohibit

1296-425: The United Nations (UN) verified that nine state armed forces were using children in hostilities: Central African Republic , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Mali , Somalia , and South Sudan in Africa; Palestine, Syria and Yemen in Western Asia; Afghanistan in Central Asia; and Myanmar in South East Asia. The United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of the Child and others have called for an end to

1344-605: The age of 15 directly in armed conflict (technically "hostilities"). This is now recognised as a war crime. Most states with armed forces are also bound by the higher standards of the widely ratified Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC) (2000) and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999), which forbid the compulsory recruitment of those under the age of 18. OPAC also requires governments that still recruit children (from age 16) to "take all feasible measures to ensure that persons below

1392-514: The age of 18 do not take a direct part in hostilities". In addition, OPAC forbids non-state armed groups from recruiting children under any circumstances, although the legal force of this is uncertain. The highest standard in the world is set by the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child , which forbids state armed forces from recruiting children under the age of 18 under any circumstances. Most African states have ratified

1440-505: The age of 18, and they began to call for a new treaty to achieve this goal. As a consequence the newly formed Committee on the Rights of the Child made two recommendations: first, to request a major UN study into the impact of armed conflict on children; and second, to establish a working group of the UN Commission on Human Rights to negotiate a supplementary protocol to the convention. Both proposals were accepted. Responding to

1488-505: The army recorded 62 formal complaints of violence committed by staff against recruits at the military training centre for 16- and 17-year-old trainee soldiers, the Army Foundation College . Joe Turton, who joined up aged 17 in 2014, recalls bullying by staff throughout his training. For example: The corporals come into the hangar where we sleep and they're wild-eyed, screaming, shoving people out. A massive sergeant lifts

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1536-446: The child soldier population. Of the verified cases presented in the 2023 UN Secretary General report, girls make 12.3% of all child soldiers recruited or used by armed groups. Despite children's physical and psychological underdevelopment relative to adults, there are many reasons why state and non-state military organisations seek them out, and why children themselves are often drawn to join of their own volition. Relative to adults,

1584-495: The committee on the Rights of the Child, the UN General Assembly acknowledged "the grievous deterioration in the situation of children in many parts of the world as a result of armed conflicts" and commissioned the human rights expert Graça Machel to conduct a major fact-finding study. Her report, Impact of Armed Conflict on Children (1996), was particularly concerned with the military use of younger children, which

1632-495: The ground. When the other corporal, the one who hit me, sees me crying on the ground, he just points at me and laughs. Elevated rates of sexual harassment are characteristic of military settings, including the training environment. Between 2015 and 2020, for example, girls aged 16 or 17 in the British armed forces were twice as likely as their same-age civilian peers to report rape or other sexual assault. The Convention on

1680-564: The laws of war, attempted murder in violation of the laws of war, conspiracy, two counts of providing material support for terrorism , and spying. The plea was offered as part of a plea bargain , which would see Khadr deported to Canada after one year of imprisonment to serve seven further years there. Omar Khadr remained in Guantanamo Bay and the Canadian government faced international criticism for delaying his repatriation. Khadr

1728-634: The loss of fundamental rights. Research in the same three countries finds that recruiters disproportionately target children from poorer backgrounds. In the UK, for example, the army finds it easier to attract child recruits from age 16 than adults from age 18, particularly those from poorer backgrounds. Once recruited, children are easier than adults to indoctrinate and control, and are more motivated than adults to fight for non-monetary incentives such as religion, honour, prestige, revenge, and duty. In many countries growing populations of young people relative to older generations have made children

1776-831: The military , including state armed forces , non-state armed groups , and other military organizations, may be trained for combat, assigned to support roles, such as cooks, porters/couriers, or messengers, or used for tactical advantage such as for human shields , or for political advantage in propaganda. Children (defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child as people under the age of 18) have been recruited for participation in military operations and campaigns throughout history and in many cultures. Children are targeted for their susceptibility to influence, which renders them easier to recruit and control. While some are recruited by force, others choose to join up, often to escape poverty or because they expect military life to offer

1824-451: The monastery had 13 nuns. A former weekend house on Fruška Gora was turned into a men's Monastery, called "Church of Saint Cyril and Metodius". As of 2010 , the monastery had three monks. Since 2012, the STOC has been building a church of Utešiteljevo near Ralja , south of Belgrade. The church is its formal episcopal seat. All STOC monasteries and churches hoist a black flag with inscription "Orthodoxy or death!". In August 2014,

1872-454: The neurological underdevelopment of children, including adolescent children, renders them more susceptible to recruitment and also more likely to make consequential decisions without due regard to the risks. With these susceptibilities in mind, military marketing to adolescents has been criticised in Germany, the UK, and the US for glamorizing military life while omitting the risks and

1920-835: The practice since 1999. For example, by 2017, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Philippines had released nearly 2,000 children from its ranks, and in 2016, the FARC-EP guerrilla movement in Colombia agreed to stop recruiting children. Other countries have seen the reverse trend, particularly Afghanistan and Syria , where Islamist militants and groups opposing them have intensified their recruitment, training, and use of children. In 2003, one estimate calculated that child soldiers participated in about three-quarters of ongoing conflicts. In

1968-680: The prosecution of children who commit war crimes, but Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child limits the punishment that a child can receive: "Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offenses committed by persons below eighteen years of age." In the wake of the Sierra Leonean Civil War , the UN mandated the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) to try former combatants aged 15 and older for breaches of humanitarian law , including war crimes. However,

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2016-466: The recruitment of children by state armed forces, arguing that military training , the military environment, and a binding contract of service are not compatible with children's rights and jeopardize healthy development. These include non-state armed paramilitary organisations such as militias , insurgents , terrorist organizations , guerrilla movements , armed liberation movements , and other types of quasi-military organisation. As of 2022 ,

2064-588: The same year, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimated that most of these children were aged over 15, although some were younger. Due to the widespread military use of children in areas where armed conflict and insecurity prevent access by UN officials and other observers, it is difficult to estimate how many children are affected. It is estimated that girl soldiers make between 10% and 30%, 6 and 50%, or over 40% of

2112-628: The statute in favour of prosecuting those who had recruited children, rather than the children themselves, no matter how heinous the crimes they had committed. In the US, prosecutors charged Omar Khadr , a Canadian, for offences they alleged he committed in Afghanistan while under the age of 16 and fighting for the Taliban against US forces . These crimes carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment under US law. In 2010, while under torture and duress, Khadr pleaded guilty to murder in violation of

2160-496: The use of children in armed conflict and insurgencies has increased in recent years. History is filled with children who have been trained and used for fighting, assigned to support roles such as porters or messengers, used as sex slaves , or recruited for tactical advantage as human shields or for political advantage in propaganda. In 1813 and 1814, for example, Napoleon conscripted many young French teenagers for his armies. Thousands of children participated on all sides of

2208-428: The use of children in armed conflict has attracted most attention, other research has found that military settings present several serious risks before child recruits are deployed to war zones, particularly during training. Research from several countries finds that military enlistment, even before recruits are sent to war, is accompanied by a higher risk of attempted suicide in the US, higher risk of mental disorders in

2256-768: Was eventually transferred to the Canadian prison system in September 2012 and was freed on bail by a judge in Alberta in May 2015. As of 2016 , Khadr was appealing his US conviction as a war criminal. Before sentencing the Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict wrote to the US military commission at Guantanamo appealing unsuccessfully for Khadr's release into

2304-422: Was worried about mines but what can we do—it's an order [to go to the front line ]. Once somebody stepped on a mine in front of me—he was wounded and died ... I was with the radio at the time, about 60 metres away. I was sitting in my hammock and saw him die ... I see young children in every unit ... I'm sure I'll be a soldier for at least a couple of more years. If I stop being a soldier, I won't have

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