On 7 February 2018 in Yambio, South Sudan, children associated with an armed group wait to be released from the group.
On 7 February 2018, more than 300 children, 87 of them girls, were released by armed groups in South Sudan, beginning a process that is expected to see at least 700 children freed in the coming weeks. “It is the largest release of children in nearly three years and it is vital that negotiations continue so there are many more days like this,” said UNICEF Representative in South Sudan Mahimbo Mdoe. During the release ceremony, the children were formally disarmed and provided with civilian clothes. Medical screenings will be carried out, and children will receive counselling and psychosocial support as part of the reintegration programme, which is implemented by UNICEF and partners. An estimated 19,000 children continue to serve in the ranks of armed forces and groups more than four years after conflict erupted in December 2013. UNICEF will continue to work with all parties to the conflict, as well as UNMISS, to secure the future release and reintegration of all children associated with armed groups through a meticulous process of negotiation, verification and registration.
2018年2月7日，南苏丹311名儿童兵从队伍中释放。
全世界有数十万儿童在武装冲突中被用作儿童兵。许多儿童遭到绑架并屈打就范。还有部分儿童为摆脱贫困、保卫家园或出于报复心理加入军事团体。
作战角色和辅助性角色
在许多冲突中儿童都会直接参战。然而，他们在冲突中的角色并不仅限于战斗人员。许多儿童在开始时会承担辅助性职责。而该类角色也包含着巨大的风险和困难。搬运工即分配给儿童的常见任务之一，他们经常需要搬运重物，包括弹药、受伤士兵等。此外，儿童也承担哨兵、信使、厨师等，并需要完成其他日常工作。武装冲突中的女童尤为脆弱。她们经常被迫充当性奴隶。此外，利用儿童实施恐怖行动，包括充当人体炸弹等行径，已成为了现代战争的一种常见现象。
漫长的愈合过程
无论其被征召的方式和所担任的角色如何，儿童兵都是受害者。参与冲突为其身心健康带来了严重影响。他们通常会受到虐待，且其中的大多数都目睹过死亡、杀戮和性暴力行为。许多人被迫犯下暴行，一些人遭受着长期的严重心理创伤。因而帮助这些儿童重返社会是一个非常复杂的过程。
根据国际法予以禁止
包括条约和惯例在内的国际人道主义法明确禁止征召和使用15岁以下的儿童兵。国际刑事法院则将该做法定为了战争罪。此外，人权法宣称征召人员入伍、参与敌对行动的最低法定年龄为18岁。征召和使用儿童兵的冲突当事方将被秘书长列入其年度羞辱名单中。
儿童兵的定义
与武装部队或武装团体有关系的儿童指18岁以下被武装部队或武装团体以任何身份征召或曾被征召的人，其用途包括但不仅限于充当战士、厨师、搬运工、间谍或用于性目的。（资料来源：《关于儿童卷入武装冲突的巴黎原则》，2007年）。