Child Soldiers Prevention Act

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The Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) is a U.S. law, signed on December 23, 2008, as part of a broader trafficking victims protection act. It aims to stop governments that recruit or use child soldiers by limiting the United States’ military aid and arms sales to those countries.

What it does
- Aims to prevent U.S. security assistance from going to governments that use or recruit children under 18 in armed forces.
- Defines a child soldier as anyone under 18 who directly takes part in hostilities as part of a government’s armed forces.
- Allows the President to waive the ban in certain national-interest cases, meaning some aid can still go to the country if allowed.

How it started and passed
- The idea began in 2006 and gained support over several years.
- The bill was introduced in 2008 by Rep. Howard Berman and colleagues, passed both houses of Congress, and was signed into law by President George W. Bush.

Waivers and how they work
- Waivers let the President partially or fully exempt a country if it’s in the national interest, often for security or peacekeeping reasons.
- Since 2010, the U.S. has granted waivers to several countries, sometimes in full or in part. Notable examples include Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sudan, Yemen, and Libya at different times, with various partial waivers to allow some types of aid to continue.
- In 2017, the Trump administration waived the law for the DRC, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan.
- In 2021, Pakistan was added to the list of countries covered by the CSPA, meaning U.S. restrictions apply unless waived.

Key point
- The CSPA is meant to pressure governments to stop using child soldiers. The President can use waivers if doing so serves U.S. national interests, which has led to ongoing debate and adjustments over the years.