This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (3) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Fox, M.-J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Girl Soldiers: Human Security and Gendered Insecurity

Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden

The aim of this article is to make a preliminary attempt to explore the extent to which the subject of girl soldiers might fit into discussions of security. The empirical study of girl soldiers falls within the larger issue of child soldiers, which has received wide exposure in recent years, though there have been few attempts to conceptualize or attach theory to it. This is even more so in regard to girl soldiers, who until recently were barely acknowledged or noticed, though they arecurrently estimated to comprise somewhere between one-tenth and one-third of all child soldiers. Gender and security literature has also tended to overlook girl soldiers, and there are limitations on applying gender theory to the plight of recruited girls. Although the subjectof girl soldiers is difficult to locate within traditional state-military security or social security discussions, it appears to fall squarelywithin the human security approach. In spite of the weaknesses ofthe human security concept, its strengths create a security space in which the gendered insecurities of girl soldiers can be recognized and addressed.

Key Words: girl soldiers • child soldiers • human security • gendered security

Security Dialogue, Vol. 35, No. 4, 465-479 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0967010604049523


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. S. Denov Wartime Sexual Violence: Assessing a Human Security Response to War-Affected Girls in Sierra Leone Security Dialogue, September 1, 2006; 37(3): 319 - 342. [Abstract] [PDF]