Child soldiers are being used in armed conflict in Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.

Myanmar is unique in the region, as the only country where government armed forces forcibly recruit and use children between the ages of 12 and 18. Child soldiers also exist in Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, Laos and Philippines,

In Sri Lanka, hundreds, perhaps thousands of children

Middle East child soldiers are reportedly used in Iran, Iraq, and Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and in tribal groups in Yemen. In Latin America up to 14,000 children are estimated to be involved with armed political groups and army-backed paramilitaries in Colombia.

The problem is most critical in Africa, where up to 100,000 children, some as young as nine, were estimated to be involved in armed conflict in mid 2004.