The thesis has investigated the use of child soldiers by the actors involved in the decades-long conflict of Somalia. The thesis has reviewed the main academic debates on child soldiering and...Show moreThe thesis has investigated the use of child soldiers by the actors involved in the decades-long conflict of Somalia. The thesis has reviewed the main academic debates on child soldiering and described the theoretical foundations to better comprehend the answer to the research question posed. In the analysis, the different rationales for each side to the conflict to explain their use and recruitment of child soldiers were examined. Finally, the thesis argued that among the several factors that seem to be valid in explaining the phenomenon of child soldiering in Somalia, only two are found to be true for both the extremist organization al-Shabaab and the government, with their allied forces. First, children may voluntarily join the army because they lack alternatives outside of the armed groups. In fact, they cannot receive a proper education and they suffer extreme poverty, water scarcity, malnutrition and devastation. Second, Somali children were born in a constant climate of violence and insecurity that has ‘normalized’ the concept of fighting, leading them to take up arms in a desperate attempt to put an end to a war they do not understand, but that has been lacerating their country for too long.Show less
This thesis aims to assess the effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in protecting Human Rights in Russia, specifically in Chechnya. The thesis investigates Russia’s compliance...Show moreThis thesis aims to assess the effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in protecting Human Rights in Russia, specifically in Chechnya. The thesis investigates Russia’s compliance to the Council of Europe’s regulatory criteria. Therefore, it first focuses on analysing the literature on the Council of Europe, the ECHR and Russia. After which, the thesis considers the different theories of compliance and how Russian power can be qualified. Next, it looks in detail to the Chechen case. It is a particularly extreme case for Human Rights violation. In Chechnya, there are frequent cases of Human Rights violations, such as abduction, torture, and killings. One recent example is the gay purges, showing the precarious situation of homosexuals who are subject to violence.Show less
Is there a relationship between the increase in both U.S. foreign aid and human rights violations in Ecuador from 1984 to 1988? If so, which causal mechanisms are present in the case of Ecuador?...Show moreIs there a relationship between the increase in both U.S. foreign aid and human rights violations in Ecuador from 1984 to 1988? If so, which causal mechanisms are present in the case of Ecuador? The ambition of this thesis is to contribute to the development of literature on the relationship between foreign aid and human rights in International Relations as well as the motives for state repression in democracies. To perform this investigation, first I will present a review of the different literature on the relationship between human rights and foreign aid. Then I will present the proposed explanatory theoretical model and causal mechanisms. I will present a case study on human rights in Ecuador from 1984 to 1992, with a deep analysis of 1984 to 1988. Afterwards, I will test the congruence of each causal mechanism to ascertain whether the hypotheses in the proposed theoretical framework are present. I will conclude with a summary of the findings as well as remarks on the limitations of the study and recommendations for further research.Show less
