Informative Essay On Child Soldiers
Child soldiers are defined as children, meaning they are under eighteen years old, who are used in the military. The military purposes for which they are used include fighting in combat, but may also entail jobs such as being cooks, porters, messengers, informants, or spies. Both boys and girls can be child soldiers. Children in the military are at the mercy of their commanders and must do whatever they are told to do or else risk being killed. This issue is completely unjust because child soldiers are forced to take part in horrific violence, including killing other human beings and acting as suicide bombers. Through mental manipulation, they are stripped of their innocence and made to believe they are fighting for a good cause, thus
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desensitizing them to the inhumane acts they are forced to commit. Further injustices of this issue include the ways in which children become soldiers. They are either abducted and forced to become soldiers, or voluntarily become soldiers because they feel they need to support their impoverished families or they feel they have a sense of duty that they need to act upon.
In addition to the violence that child soldiers must inflict on others, they are subject to abuse as well, with many being sexually abused and beaten by their own commanders or other soldiers. Every aspect of the use of child soldiers is unjust, from the way they are recruited, to the acts of violence they must commit once they are soldiers, to the way many of them die because of their participation in war. Therefore, this is a social justice issue that must be given a great deal of attention (Child Soldiers International 1). The use of child soldiers is prevalent throughout the Middle East and North Africa. There are many extremist armed groups in this region, such as ISIS and the Taliban, who are hurting children, families, and communities by actively recruiting children on a daily basis (Child Soldiers International 2). In Afghanistan, the Taliban is increasing the number of child soldiers they use. Since the middle of 2015, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of child soldiers fighting for the Taliban (Afghanistan: Taliban Child Solider Recruitment Surges 1). Afghan child soldiers recently have been experiencing some of the
most horrible effects of the bloody conflict in the Middle East, with more children being killed or maimed in 2014 than in any previous year ever studied (United Nations Security Council: Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan 1). The Taliban has a complex and well thought-out system for recruiting and training children. Boys are recruited as young as six years of age and are taught various religious subjects by Taliban teachers for about seven years. During this time, they also learn military skills, such as how to use a firearm, and so by the time they are thirteen, they are deemed fit to join Taliban groups and go into combat (Afghanistan: Taliban Child Solider Recruitment Surges 2). The Taliban’s child soldiers are stripped of their rights to education and health care as soon as they are recruited. Similarly, in Iraq, many children are recruited by ISIS. The majority of children fighting for ISIS are from Syria and Iraq, and most of the deaths of these children occur in Iraq (McLaughlin 2). ISIS’s child soldiers are denied human rights such as education and health care and are killed and maimed, just like those fighting for the Taliban. They participate in suicide bombings and attacks on schools and hospitals (United Nations Security Council: Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan 2). The most disturbing part about ISIS’s use of child soldiers is that ISIS believes it is normal. Charlie Winter, a researcher of ISIS’s child soldiers, says, “They are not just being used to shock people in execution videos. They are being used for their operational value as well. This is something that sadly we have to expect to increase and accelerate as the situation becomes more precarious for ISIS in the years to come" (McLaughlin 1). ISIS sees children just as other adult fighters, and therefore places no importance on childhood, making it even more difficult to stop them from using child soldiers (McLaughlin 1). The use of child soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan by terrorist groups is a widespread problem that results in the unjust treatment and deaths of thousands of children. Works Cited
“Afghanistan: Taliban Child Soldier Recruitment Surges.” Human Rights Watch. 17 Feb. 2016, https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/02/17/afghanistan-taliban-child-soldier-recruitment- surges. Accessed 20 Nov. 2016.
“Child Recruitment and Use.” Children and Armed Conflict. United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/effects-of-conflict/six-grave-violations/ child-soldiers/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.
Child Soldiers International. 2016. www.child-soldiers.org. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.
Glatz, Carol. “Top 13 quotable quotes by Pope Francis on sanctity of life.” Catholic News Service. 21 Jan. 2014, https://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/ top-13-quotable-quotes-by-pope-francis-on-sanctity-of-life/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.
“Helping Child Soldiers Reintegrate.” USAid.gov. USAID From the American People, 12 May 2016, www.usaid.gov/results-data/success-stories/helping-child-soldiers-reintegrate. Accessed 20 Nov. 2016.
Kaplan, Eben. “Child Soldiers Around the World.” Council on Foreign Relations. 2 Dec. 2005, www.cfr.org/human-rights/child-soldiers-around-world/p9331#p5. Accessed 20 Nov. 2016.
McLaughlin, Erin. “How ISIS recruits children, then kills them.” CNN. 22 Feb. 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/19/middleeast/isis-child-soldiers/index.html. Accessed 18 Nov. 2016.
United Nations Security Council. “Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan” (S/2015/336). United Nations. 15 May 2015, www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2015/336&Lang=E&Area=UNDOC. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.
---. “Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Iraq” (S/2015/852). United Nations. 9 Nov. 2015, http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp? symbol=S/2015/852&Lang=E&Area=UNDOC. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.
desensitizing them to the inhumane acts they are forced to commit. Further injustices of this issue include the ways in which children become soldiers. They are either abducted and forced to become soldiers, or voluntarily become soldiers because they feel they need to support their impoverished families or they feel they have a sense of duty that they need to act upon.
In addition to the violence that child soldiers must inflict on others, they are subject to abuse as well, with many being sexually abused and beaten by their own commanders or other soldiers. Every aspect of the use of child soldiers is unjust, from the way they are recruited, to the acts of violence they must commit once they are soldiers, to the way many of them die because of their participation in war. Therefore, this is a social justice issue that must be given a great deal of attention (Child Soldiers International 1). The use of child soldiers is prevalent throughout the Middle East and North Africa. There are many extremist armed groups in this region, such as ISIS and the Taliban, who are hurting children, families, and communities by actively recruiting children on a daily basis (Child Soldiers International 2). In Afghanistan, the Taliban is increasing the number of child soldiers they use. Since the middle of 2015, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of child soldiers fighting for the Taliban (Afghanistan: Taliban Child Solider Recruitment Surges 1). Afghan child soldiers recently have been experiencing some of the
most horrible effects of the bloody conflict in the Middle East, with more children being killed or maimed in 2014 than in any previous year ever studied (United Nations Security Council: Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan 1). The Taliban has a complex and well thought-out system for recruiting and training children. Boys are recruited as young as six years of age and are taught various religious subjects by Taliban teachers for about seven years. During this time, they also learn military skills, such as how to use a firearm, and so by the time they are thirteen, they are deemed fit to join Taliban groups and go into combat (Afghanistan: Taliban Child Solider Recruitment Surges 2). The Taliban’s child soldiers are stripped of their rights to education and health care as soon as they are recruited. Similarly, in Iraq, many children are recruited by ISIS. The majority of children fighting for ISIS are from Syria and Iraq, and most of the deaths of these children occur in Iraq (McLaughlin 2). ISIS’s child soldiers are denied human rights such as education and health care and are killed and maimed, just like those fighting for the Taliban. They participate in suicide bombings and attacks on schools and hospitals (United Nations Security Council: Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan 2). The most disturbing part about ISIS’s use of child soldiers is that ISIS believes it is normal. Charlie Winter, a researcher of ISIS’s child soldiers, says, “They are not just being used to shock people in execution videos. They are being used for their operational value as well. This is something that sadly we have to expect to increase and accelerate as the situation becomes more precarious for ISIS in the years to come" (McLaughlin 1). ISIS sees children just as other adult fighters, and therefore places no importance on childhood, making it even more difficult to stop them from using child soldiers (McLaughlin 1). The use of child soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan by terrorist groups is a widespread problem that results in the unjust treatment and deaths of thousands of children. Works Cited
“Afghanistan: Taliban Child Soldier Recruitment Surges.” Human Rights Watch. 17 Feb. 2016, https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/02/17/afghanistan-taliban-child-soldier-recruitment- surges. Accessed 20 Nov. 2016.
“Child Recruitment and Use.” Children and Armed Conflict. United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/effects-of-conflict/six-grave-violations/ child-soldiers/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.
Child Soldiers International. 2016. www.child-soldiers.org. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.
Glatz, Carol. “Top 13 quotable quotes by Pope Francis on sanctity of life.” Catholic News Service. 21 Jan. 2014, https://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/ top-13-quotable-quotes-by-pope-francis-on-sanctity-of-life/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.
“Helping Child Soldiers Reintegrate.” USAid.gov. USAID From the American People, 12 May 2016, www.usaid.gov/results-data/success-stories/helping-child-soldiers-reintegrate. Accessed 20 Nov. 2016.
Kaplan, Eben. “Child Soldiers Around the World.” Council on Foreign Relations. 2 Dec. 2005, www.cfr.org/human-rights/child-soldiers-around-world/p9331#p5. Accessed 20 Nov. 2016.
McLaughlin, Erin. “How ISIS recruits children, then kills them.” CNN. 22 Feb. 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/19/middleeast/isis-child-soldiers/index.html. Accessed 18 Nov. 2016.
United Nations Security Council. “Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan” (S/2015/336). United Nations. 15 May 2015, www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2015/336&Lang=E&Area=UNDOC. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.
---. “Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Iraq” (S/2015/852). United Nations. 9 Nov. 2015, http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp? symbol=S/2015/852&Lang=E&Area=UNDOC. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.