International law relating to child soldiers is of recent origin. As far as universal instruments are concerned, the Child Soldiers Protocol is compared to Article 77(2) of the first Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, Article 4(3)(c) of the second Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, Articles 38 and 39 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Articles 8(2)(b)(xxvi) and (e)(vii) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and Article 3 of ILO Convention No 182 on the worst forms of child labour. In 1989, provisions on children in armed conflicts were incorporated into the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). This international human rights instrument is ratified by all States except the United States and Somalia.Keywords: child labour, Child Soldiers Protocol, CRC, Geneva Conventions, Universal instruments