You are listening to the inquiry on the BBC World Service with me,

Ferenek Amidee.

Each week, one question, four expert witnesses and an answer.

This week I want to start by telling you a story from my own childhood.

I grew up in Iran in the 1980s during the 8-year Iran-Iraq war,

a long and bloody conflict which saw the death of tens of thousands of child

soldiers.

One of them was Hossain Phahemidah.

He was 13 years old.

It was spring and Iraqi tanks were heading towards Iranian troops. Hossein with with a grenade in his hand, blew himself and a tank to smithereens.

His so-called martyrdom was glorified in school textbooks across Iran, Mein included.

His face adorned city murals.

Hosain's suicide mission became powerful political propaganda.

Children are used as fighters across the world by states and extremist groups,

most notably in recent times the Taliban and the Islamic State group.

Many of these children have survived.

So this week we are talking to people who are grappling with a very pressing issue.

How best to deal with child fighters as conflicts end.

In this episode we ask, can radicalize kids recover

Part 1 a call to arms

We know that the children who were under ISIS rule, all of them were exposed to violence and so they've been traumatized.

This is Professor Mia Bloom. She is the author of Small Arms, Children and Terrorism, a book which looks at how children are

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