Sammendrag
Children born of war (CBOW) – children born of relationships between a local citizen and a foreign soldier, peacekeeping officer, child soldier, rebel, or a person part of the enemy military force – are entitled the same international human rights as all other children. However, regardless of whether these children are born of consensual relationships or of sexual violence, they are particularly susceptible to several human rights violations. Despite constituting a vulnerable group of society, CBOW, in particular children born of consensual relationships, have up until recently been overlooked by the international community, including the United Nations. In this thesis, I perform a qualitative content analysis of the UN discourse on CBOW since 2009. Further, I position this discourse within the international legal framework on children’s rights. I demonstrate that the UN only addresses children born of sexual violence. Even though they are primarily considered as victims and rights’ holders, there is a strong nexus between their mothers’ suffering and their lack of well-being. I argue several legal blind spots are created for children born of consensual relationships, thus potentially undermining the efficiency of international human rights law.