Child Soldiers Effects
Former President Charles Taylor of Liberia abducted countless child soldiers during his fight for the presidency in a tumultuous civil war that lasted fourteen years. Taylor was known to be one of the first warlords to recruit young children into a life of soldiering, often requiring them to perform horrific acts upon innocent people. Child soldiers are a major issue in Africa; over six of its countries regularly use child soldiers. Child soldiers go through many struggles most cannot even fathom. These children have problems from the moment they are kidnapped till the end of their life if they do not get the help they need. Protecting children from becoming child soldiers is an important issue because of the negative impact it has on the world
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and the post traumatic stress children face after being child soldiers. Child soldiery is one of the biggest issues in Africa and should be stopped because of the massive impact it has on the world. Astounding journalist for In Review, Tashbih Sayyed, in his article, "Children Recruited for Suicide Bombing" explains that once these child soldiers are trained and have fought in wars they have become unknowingly brainwashed and will always know that their purpose is to kill (Sayyed). In other words, Sayyed believes once a child has been brainwashed he will permanently be negatively affecting the world because the children cannot revert back to their prior functioning self. The impact it has on the world makes it even more dangerous by causing fear for one's children and the safety of the small communities where warlords and tyrants fight in their homelands. Sayyed explains how the children cannot re-enter society normally due to constantly battling their instincts to hurt, mutilate and kill others. For example, children report suffering from horrible nightmares and highly aggressive behavior which contributes to anti-social behavior and makes them a constant threat to their families and communities. As a matter of fact, many of the child soldiers were marked with tattoos to signify the army they belonged to, which serves as yet another reminder of their ordeal. UNICEF, an organization dedicated to helping children of the world stepped in and began a program to remove the tattoos or at least help disguise them in an effort to help them feel more connected to their families and communities. Additionally, spectacular author and human rights activist Ishmael Beah states in his Article "The Making, and Unmaking, of a Child Soldier." The villages that we captured and turned into our bases as we went along and the forests that we slept in became my home. My squad was my family, my gun was my provider and protector and my rule was to kill or be killed. The extent of my thoughts didn’t go much beyond that. We had been fighting for more than two years, and killing had become a daily activity. I felt no pity for anyone. My childhood had gone by without my knowing, and it seemed as if my heart had frozen. I knew that day and night came and went because of the presence of the moon and the sun, but I had no idea whether it was a Sunday or a Friday (Ishmael). The essence of Ishmael's argument is that he was stolen from his family and his friends because tyrants and rebels were fighting and using them for their own greedy ambitions. This can leave most parents broken. Most of the time the kidnappers made the child kill their parents to keep the child from escaping. Ishmael's argument states indirectly that child soldiers have a massive impact on the world by causing panic, fury and uncertainty among families, and children. The people who run these child soldier camps thrive off the negative impact and use intimidation to incite fear amongst society. Not only does child soldiery have a big impact on the world, but it also leads to PTSD post-traumatic stress disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder is common among child soldiers and plays a major role in keeping reformed child soldiers from integrating normally back into society.Tashbih Sayyed, in his article "Children Recruited for Suicide Bombing" explains that Child soldiery’s most dangerous part is when the children have been programmed into becoming soldiers, it is near impossible to retrain them back into society as functioning members (Sayyed).
Sayyed's argument states child soldiers have the hardest time assimilating back into the society once they have been in a war environment for too long. Post traumatic stress is keeping former child soldiers from living normal lives because they have been brainwashed to kill; this is how it stops them from living normal lives. Furthermore, Beah Ishmael also states in his article "The Making, and Unmaking, of a Child Soldier," in northern Uganda, nearly 30 percent of girls and 50 percent of boys have post traumatic stress. Unfortunately, many of them become suicidal (Ishmael). These statistics illustrate a large percent of child soldiers suffering from PTSD, which ultimately lead to depression, anxiety, nightmares, and suicidal thoughts. More than one third of the children in Uganda suffer from this crippling disorder and do not receive the necessary help or treatment needed to allow them to recover. These numbers show the effects that PTSD can have on child soldiers and how this may stop them from merging into society as functioning …show more content…
members. Child soldiery has a lifelong impact for the children, but great strides have been made in an effort to combat the use of children in war. Protecting children from becoming child soldiers can be a difficult thing to do, but not impossible, great strides have been made, however, more needs to be done. Over twenty years ago, the use of child soldiering was a legal and internationally accepted practice, however, today the use of children in war is no longer deemed acceptable throughout the world. In the 1990’s, during the height of civil unrest in Africa, the use of child soldiers appeared to be at an all time high. This in turn got the attention of many activists involved in global issues who banded together along with Child Soldiers International to advocate on behalf of the children. Because of this strong passion to advocate on behalf of these children, the issue of child soldiers became more well known throughout the world. As a result, an international treaty was adopted on February 12, 2000 which prohibited the use of any person under the age of 18 in armed conflict (Child Soldiers International). (https://www.child-soldiers.org/news/could-you-do-something-unthinkable-today)
While not every country adopted the treaty, it has brought global awareness to an important issue that demands each country to reexamine their own recruitment ages.
Political author Lewis Eigen, writes in his article "Child Soldiers Are Unfortunately Nothing New,” that "President George W. Bush in 2007 signed into law the Child Soldiers Accountability Act. The law was approved unanimously by both houses of the U.S. Congress, and makes it a federal crime to recruit or use soldiers under the age of 15 — anyplace in the world" (Eigen). Eigen's point is that country's are trying to fix this issue and how some country's have joined together to abolish it altogether. While abolishing child soldiers is hard, society is working to erase this issue from the world. However, some people argue child soldiery is not a big problem and claim that hunger and lack of education is a bigger problem. Critics argue child soldiery is not one of the biggest issues facing our global world, that child poverty and lack of education are bigger problems. Although this may be true, there are currently more than 300,000 child Soldiers in the world right now. That is 300,000 humans that could be working towards a better tomorrow and instead being forced into a life of warfare and horror. Packtor Jordanna, world renowned reporter and journalist points
out According to Gallup World, in 2013, the 10 countries with the highest proportion of residents living in extreme poverty were all in sub-Saharan Africa. Extreme poverty is defined as living on $1.25 or less a day. In 2010, 414 million people were living in extreme poverty across sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Bank, those living on $1.25-a-day accounted for 48.5 percent of the population in that region in 2010 (Packtor). Packtor's main point is to argue that poverty is a pressing issue, but what Packtor doesn't mention is that over 2 million counted child soldiers ever since we have been keeping track have been confirmed as Child Soldiers as of yet. Packtor does not mention how Child soldiers also get PTSD which can lead to anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. While, “fewer than 20 percent of African women have access to education. Uneducated African women are twice as likely to contract AIDS and 50 percent less likely to immunize their children. Meanwhile, the children of African women with at least five years of schooling have a 40 percent higher chance of survival"(Packtor). In this statement Packtor suggests that because of lack of education, diseases are contracted. While even as child soldiers, if they were educated and didn't suffer from severe poverty, they still would have to fear being kidnapped away from their families, sent to war and suffer post traumatic stress all without any laws in their own countries to help prevent this atrocity from happening. This proves that the biggest issue is child soldiery. In conclusion, preventing children from becoming child soldiers should be a major concern because of the negative impact it has on the world and the post traumatic stress it causes on the children. Child Soldier's impact on the world has been felt by many throughout the world, such as the acts of terrorism that have been committed throughout Africa, Israel, and Pakistan . The post traumatic stress has affected millions of lives, but there are ways to stop this from happening. People can help stop child soldiery from happening by pledging money to https://www.child-soldiers.org, this organization helps struggling former child soldiers who are struggling to assimilate back into society. Awareness and education are important factors in stopping the reality of child soldiers being captured and forced into a life of war. For example, Sayyed states in his article, "He was young. In a red sweater and blue jeans, he could have been the object of any mother's affections. But there was something wrong with his movement. For the Israeli soldiers at the West Bank checkpoint the fourteen-year-old Palestinian boy seemed a little too nervous, a little too cautious. They were on high alert."(Sayyed) Together, as a global nation, child soldering can end with the efforts of many to educate and bring awareness to this issue.
and the post traumatic stress children face after being child soldiers. Child soldiery is one of the biggest issues in Africa and should be stopped because of the massive impact it has on the world. Astounding journalist for In Review, Tashbih Sayyed, in his article, "Children Recruited for Suicide Bombing" explains that once these child soldiers are trained and have fought in wars they have become unknowingly brainwashed and will always know that their purpose is to kill (Sayyed). In other words, Sayyed believes once a child has been brainwashed he will permanently be negatively affecting the world because the children cannot revert back to their prior functioning self. The impact it has on the world makes it even more dangerous by causing fear for one's children and the safety of the small communities where warlords and tyrants fight in their homelands. Sayyed explains how the children cannot re-enter society normally due to constantly battling their instincts to hurt, mutilate and kill others. For example, children report suffering from horrible nightmares and highly aggressive behavior which contributes to anti-social behavior and makes them a constant threat to their families and communities. As a matter of fact, many of the child soldiers were marked with tattoos to signify the army they belonged to, which serves as yet another reminder of their ordeal. UNICEF, an organization dedicated to helping children of the world stepped in and began a program to remove the tattoos or at least help disguise them in an effort to help them feel more connected to their families and communities. Additionally, spectacular author and human rights activist Ishmael Beah states in his Article "The Making, and Unmaking, of a Child Soldier." The villages that we captured and turned into our bases as we went along and the forests that we slept in became my home. My squad was my family, my gun was my provider and protector and my rule was to kill or be killed. The extent of my thoughts didn’t go much beyond that. We had been fighting for more than two years, and killing had become a daily activity. I felt no pity for anyone. My childhood had gone by without my knowing, and it seemed as if my heart had frozen. I knew that day and night came and went because of the presence of the moon and the sun, but I had no idea whether it was a Sunday or a Friday (Ishmael). The essence of Ishmael's argument is that he was stolen from his family and his friends because tyrants and rebels were fighting and using them for their own greedy ambitions. This can leave most parents broken. Most of the time the kidnappers made the child kill their parents to keep the child from escaping. Ishmael's argument states indirectly that child soldiers have a massive impact on the world by causing panic, fury and uncertainty among families, and children. The people who run these child soldier camps thrive off the negative impact and use intimidation to incite fear amongst society. Not only does child soldiery have a big impact on the world, but it also leads to PTSD post-traumatic stress disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder is common among child soldiers and plays a major role in keeping reformed child soldiers from integrating normally back into society.Tashbih Sayyed, in his article "Children Recruited for Suicide Bombing" explains that Child soldiery’s most dangerous part is when the children have been programmed into becoming soldiers, it is near impossible to retrain them back into society as functioning members (Sayyed).
Sayyed's argument states child soldiers have the hardest time assimilating back into the society once they have been in a war environment for too long. Post traumatic stress is keeping former child soldiers from living normal lives because they have been brainwashed to kill; this is how it stops them from living normal lives. Furthermore, Beah Ishmael also states in his article "The Making, and Unmaking, of a Child Soldier," in northern Uganda, nearly 30 percent of girls and 50 percent of boys have post traumatic stress. Unfortunately, many of them become suicidal (Ishmael). These statistics illustrate a large percent of child soldiers suffering from PTSD, which ultimately lead to depression, anxiety, nightmares, and suicidal thoughts. More than one third of the children in Uganda suffer from this crippling disorder and do not receive the necessary help or treatment needed to allow them to recover. These numbers show the effects that PTSD can have on child soldiers and how this may stop them from merging into society as functioning …show more content…
members. Child soldiery has a lifelong impact for the children, but great strides have been made in an effort to combat the use of children in war. Protecting children from becoming child soldiers can be a difficult thing to do, but not impossible, great strides have been made, however, more needs to be done. Over twenty years ago, the use of child soldiering was a legal and internationally accepted practice, however, today the use of children in war is no longer deemed acceptable throughout the world. In the 1990’s, during the height of civil unrest in Africa, the use of child soldiers appeared to be at an all time high. This in turn got the attention of many activists involved in global issues who banded together along with Child Soldiers International to advocate on behalf of the children. Because of this strong passion to advocate on behalf of these children, the issue of child soldiers became more well known throughout the world. As a result, an international treaty was adopted on February 12, 2000 which prohibited the use of any person under the age of 18 in armed conflict (Child Soldiers International). (https://www.child-soldiers.org/news/could-you-do-something-unthinkable-today)
While not every country adopted the treaty, it has brought global awareness to an important issue that demands each country to reexamine their own recruitment ages.
Political author Lewis Eigen, writes in his article "Child Soldiers Are Unfortunately Nothing New,” that "President George W. Bush in 2007 signed into law the Child Soldiers Accountability Act. The law was approved unanimously by both houses of the U.S. Congress, and makes it a federal crime to recruit or use soldiers under the age of 15 — anyplace in the world" (Eigen). Eigen's point is that country's are trying to fix this issue and how some country's have joined together to abolish it altogether. While abolishing child soldiers is hard, society is working to erase this issue from the world. However, some people argue child soldiery is not a big problem and claim that hunger and lack of education is a bigger problem. Critics argue child soldiery is not one of the biggest issues facing our global world, that child poverty and lack of education are bigger problems. Although this may be true, there are currently more than 300,000 child Soldiers in the world right now. That is 300,000 humans that could be working towards a better tomorrow and instead being forced into a life of warfare and horror. Packtor Jordanna, world renowned reporter and journalist points
out According to Gallup World, in 2013, the 10 countries with the highest proportion of residents living in extreme poverty were all in sub-Saharan Africa. Extreme poverty is defined as living on $1.25 or less a day. In 2010, 414 million people were living in extreme poverty across sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Bank, those living on $1.25-a-day accounted for 48.5 percent of the population in that region in 2010 (Packtor). Packtor's main point is to argue that poverty is a pressing issue, but what Packtor doesn't mention is that over 2 million counted child soldiers ever since we have been keeping track have been confirmed as Child Soldiers as of yet. Packtor does not mention how Child soldiers also get PTSD which can lead to anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. While, “fewer than 20 percent of African women have access to education. Uneducated African women are twice as likely to contract AIDS and 50 percent less likely to immunize their children. Meanwhile, the children of African women with at least five years of schooling have a 40 percent higher chance of survival"(Packtor). In this statement Packtor suggests that because of lack of education, diseases are contracted. While even as child soldiers, if they were educated and didn't suffer from severe poverty, they still would have to fear being kidnapped away from their families, sent to war and suffer post traumatic stress all without any laws in their own countries to help prevent this atrocity from happening. This proves that the biggest issue is child soldiery. In conclusion, preventing children from becoming child soldiers should be a major concern because of the negative impact it has on the world and the post traumatic stress it causes on the children. Child Soldier's impact on the world has been felt by many throughout the world, such as the acts of terrorism that have been committed throughout Africa, Israel, and Pakistan . The post traumatic stress has affected millions of lives, but there are ways to stop this from happening. People can help stop child soldiery from happening by pledging money to https://www.child-soldiers.org, this organization helps struggling former child soldiers who are struggling to assimilate back into society. Awareness and education are important factors in stopping the reality of child soldiers being captured and forced into a life of war. For example, Sayyed states in his article, "He was young. In a red sweater and blue jeans, he could have been the object of any mother's affections. But there was something wrong with his movement. For the Israeli soldiers at the West Bank checkpoint the fourteen-year-old Palestinian boy seemed a little too nervous, a little too cautious. They were on high alert."(Sayyed) Together, as a global nation, child soldering can end with the efforts of many to educate and bring awareness to this issue.