The phenomenon of child soldiering is not a new one. From the Crusades in Medieval Europe to the American Civil War and both world wars, children have always been fighting alongside adults. At the time, it was not a controversial issue as the modern conception of childhood being a period of innocence, freedom and playfulness did not exist. Even during the decolonization process, little attention was paid to scores of children fighting with their parents against colonial powers. However, the proliferation of small arms and the increase in forceful recruitment of children by brutal armed opposition groups enmeshed in protracted conflicts have brought to the fore the plight of child soldiers. As scholars painted a gruesome picture of the reality, the international community reacted by adopting a range of international legal instruments. Yet, increasingly a more nuanced portrait of these child soldiers emerged. Whilst they were the victims of horrible crimes at the hands of ruthless armed forces or armed opposition groups, they were also committing crimes, notably against the civilian population. The international community, seemingly unable to conceive that a child could be nothing but innocent, struggled with the fact that they were perpetrators of international crimes. Academic literature followed a similar path, focusing more on the child soldiers as victims than perpetrators. Only recently have more studies (such as the works of Mark Drumbl, Kirsten Fisher and Leonie Steinl) been published on this complex issue of child perpetrators.