Why do children fight? Motivations and the mode of recruitment

Abstract

Recruitment and retention are essential for any group. To be viable, a group must have members, whether a labour union, a political party, a football club or a rebel army. A group must convince people to join and to persuade them to continue participating in the group. For a violent organization engaged in military conflict, failing to retain members could be fatal - threatening the survival of the group itself as well as its leadership.