Victim or Perpetrator? Child Returnees´ Perceptions of Peace and War

In Northern Uganda under the oppression of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), in North Korea, Iraq and Syria under the oppression of authoritarian regimes, and currently in Ukraine due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, children around the world have become victims of violence, murder and the loss of their family members. The abrupt end of childhood, combined with the hostile and precarious situations in which minors find themselves, has affected both their peaceful cognitive and emotional development and their ways of interacting with others. Using qualitative data collected from German children and adolescents who joined the Islamic State (IS) with their mothers and later returned to Germany, this chapter aims to analyse the returnees' perceptions of peace and war. Among other effects discussed, one consequence of the violent training of this vulnerable group may be post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from their dual status as victims and coerced perpetrators during their stay in the 'caliphate'. This affection is likely to lead to misunderstanding and exclusion from 'normal' society. In this context, the different levels of cognitive involvement of children and adolescents in the IS ideology are discussed in order to highlight the need for heterogeneous prevention approaches in relation to young returnees. In the light of recent terrorist attacks planned or committed by minors, questions about the self-perception of children and adolescents as 'soldiers' or victims of the terrorist organizations are discussed, offering new reflections on their roles and criminal responsibility.