Human Rights Violation - Child Soldier

Human Rights Violation
(Child Soldier)

What do you think of when you hear the term “Child Soldier”? You probably think of a normal child who has been trained to become an armed soldier from his early childhood. No, the reality is that child soldiers still do exist in many parts of the world. First of all, what do you mean by child soldiers? Child soldiers are any children under 18 years of age who is a member of the armed forces or an armed group. Today, child soldier has been one of the major issues in the economy of human civilization. It has fore mostly impacted many countries from developing and moving a step forwards in their humanitarian activities. So, as a relation of us towards the development of humanity and human civilization, every individual in this world should try their best to erase this particular violation or term “Child Soldier” from history.

As briefly discussing about this particular human right violation, this violation has been one of the major issues in Canada and many other countries. As concisely defining this topic, a child soldier is any children under 18 years of age who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity. The definition also includes girls recruited for sexual purposes and for forced marriage. It does not, therefore, only refer to a child who is carrying or has carried arms. Children are more likely to become child soldiers if they are displaced from their homes, separated from their families, living in combat zones or have limited access to education. Children may join armed groups as the only way to guarantee daily food and survival. In some situations, children may ‘voluntarily’ take part in warfare, not realizing the dangers and abuses they will be subjected to. Most likely these children are responding to economic, cultural, social and political pressures.

As discussing different facts about Child Labour in Canada and worldwide, the major fact has been estimated that over 300,000 children – boys and girls under the age of 18 – are today involved in more than 30 conflicts worldwide. Children are used as combatants, messengers, porters and cooks and for forced sexual services. Some are abducted or are recruited by force. Others are motivated to join by poverty, abuse and discrimination, or to take revenge for violence endorsed against them or their families. These children are subjected to unimaginable violence and torture by serving in both government armies and rebel groups. Commanders often hassle them with drugs and alcohol. These children are repeatedly abused, and disposed of when they are supposed useless or ineffective. Close to 2 million children have been killed in conflict in the case of child soldier since 1996.

Children are the rising stars of our nation and humanity. One should try to protect and educate good things to them rather than conflicting these silly behaviours to those little blameless souls. According to Canada’s law, a person caught doing this crime is heavily punished and penalized against the community. Back in 2002, Canada signed on to an international treaty aimed at rehabilitating child soldiers. In fact Canada was the first nation to ratify the child soldier - optional protocol to the convention on the rights of a child. Since then, many different rules and laws have been made in order to stop child soldier in the nation.

As of all these facts and discussion on this particular human violation, these violations is still a problem in the world and in Canada and researchers are busy, laws are being made and punishments are ready for those criminals. As the children are the future developers of our world and community, they should not be treated in this way. In fact, they should be cared and loved as they are the ones who are going to get rid of all the crimes in the world and make this congested world a peaceful world. So child soldier should be stopped, if still seen, all the population should be united and raise a voice against the government to be strict in this particular violation and give hard punishments to the criminals and bring peace in the world.