The Involvement Of Child Soldiers
“Compelled to become instruments of war, to kill and be killed, child soldiers are forced to give violent expression to the hatreds of adults” (“Child Soldiers” 1). This quotation by Olara Otunnu explains that children are forced into becoming weapons of war. Since 2000, the participation of child soldiers has been reported in most armed conflicts in almost every region in the world. They may fight on the front lines, participate in suicide missions, and act as spies, messengers or lookouts. Girls may be forced into sexual slavery. Many are abducted or recruited by force, while others join out of desperation, believing that armed groups a chance for survival. Children are forced by commanders through false promises, drugs and things which
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no human can even imagine, to kill innocent civilians, other children and even their own families These children are robbed from there childhood , education, freedom and child rights. People today should be working more to hold accountable people who force children to fight for their wars. The horrible and tragic fate of many unfortunate children is set on path of war, murders, brainwash and suffering. More nations should help to prevent these tragedies and to help stop the suffering of these unfortunate, and innocent children. These children are said to be fighting in about 75 percent of the world’s conflicts with most being 14 years or younger (Singer 2). In 30 countries around the world, the number of boys and girls under the age of 18 fighting as soldiers in government and opposition armed forces is said to be around 300,000 (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). These statistics are clearly devastating and can be difficult to comprehend, since the number of child soldiers around the world should be zero. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands adolescent children are being or have been recruited into paramilitaries, militias and non-state groups in more than 85 countries (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). This information is also quite overwhelming. Child soldiers are used around the world, but in some areas, the numbers are more concentrated.
Though the use of child soldiers is a global concern, the highest numbers have been reported mainly in Africa and Asia (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 4). It has been reported that child soldiers have served on every continent except Antarctica within the last 10 years (Singer 2). Around 120,000 adolescent children are now engaged in conflicts throughout Africa (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 4). In Sudan, for instance, thousands of children, some as young as 12, were recruited against their will into separatist and government groups (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 5). Thousands more children have been enlisted into the armed forces throughout Asia and the Pacific. The most significant numbers are in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and recently, Cambodia. Myanmar, a country in Asia, has some of the most child soldiers throughout the world, with children being recruited into both non-government and government armed forces (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 6). The number of child soldiers has been decreasing annually, but these children are still being taken against their will.
Children recruited into the armed forces in these countries are forced by their commanders to commit atrocities against other soldiers and villagers. They may also suffer through punishments themselves. Commanders have been known to force their child recruits to witness and/or commit abuses against their own families or captured prisoners (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 1). For instance, child soldiers recruited into Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army have been forced to tie their parents to trees and club them to death or be killed themselves (Taylor 1). Physical punishments are also experienced by the children. These punishments include beating, whipping, caning, and being tied up for days (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 1). Child soldiers are sometimes forced to take drugs to desensitize them despite the fact that drugs can harm them even more or are supplied with marijuana and opiates to lessen their fears of being in combat (Singer 4) (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 1). This evidence is frightening, and putting children through these kinds of brutal punishments is inhumane. Children of both genders are treated inhumanely, but females usually receive the brunt of the mistreatment.
Male and female child recruits both face punishment when they commit infractions, but many females are subject to harsher forms of treatment. Female child soldiers are especially susceptible to rape and sexual abuse (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 2). Some are given to military commanders as wives to be raped (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 1). In one case, girls seized by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda have become sex and labor slaves, forced to do any task their ‘husbands’ or commanders want them to (Taylor 1). These girls have no choice but to obey, and yet the fact that they are being forced to submit to this sexual abuse is far from disturbing. Though many young girls suffer from sexual abuse, many more under 18 years old are being taken advantage of in Sri Lanka where they are being trained as suicide bombers to allow them to evade government security (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 2). Another heartbreaking example was when 140 LTTE cadres lives were lost in an encounter with the security forces at Ampakamam in October of 1999, with 49 of the cadres being children, 32 of them girls between 11 and 15 years old (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 6). Looking at this evidence, it is clear that females are much more susceptible to more cruel forms of abuse than their male counterparts. These crises and problems have been caused by many different issues that have been going on for decades.
Children are some of the most vulnerable making it easier to be recruited into the armed forces due to the fact that sometimes they have no parent stopping them and because they are so easily influenced. According to Human Rights Watch, “Because children are often physically vulnerable, easily intimidated, and susceptible to psychological manipulation, they typically make obedient soldiers” (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 1). These young children are fascinated by the prestige and power of the military, thinking that they can make more of their life if they join (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 6). Many children believe that because they have been separated from their families and have no chance of escaping, they must prove their loyalty to their commanders and remain in the armed forces (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 4). These young adults usually decide to join the armed forces due to poverty, isolation, and intolerance within their community (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). Orphans and children that live on the street are at an even higher risk due to the fact that they have no parent to stop them from joining (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 6). Though some of the children may be forced into joining the armed forces, many have been driven into joining due to the fact that they can get regular meals and wages or because it is a custom in their culture (Miller 1). Evidently, many children join the armed forces because they believe they can establish a better life, but nonetheless, many are forcibly recruited by armed organizations and groups around the world. Children are clearly more susceptible to recruitment, but there are more causes that have led to the problem.
Economic and social troubles have led to the use of child soldiers in many countries around the globe, but the widespread accessibility of modern lightweight weapons has also contributed. In some regions, states have failed and warlords have maintained control while armed conflicts are driven more by religious hatred, ethnic strife, and personal profit rather than politics. In Africa, for example, conflicts were once cause-driven struggles, but have become criminal drives that are led by warlords who wish to achieve power and greed (Gettleman 2). Though warlords are still a problem, social and economic disruptions caused by globalization are acting to weaken states and undermine societal structures, making child soldiers a widespread presence (Singer 3). These economic and social changes have made enlistment levels difficult to sustain, in turn, causing recruitment ages to drop significantly (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). Laws are being made to increase the recruitment ages and help deter armed groups from using child soldiers. These laws have had little impact due to the fact that many of these groups have very little value for international standards (Xanthaki 2). In spite of the troubled economics in several countries, modern lightweight weapons have become available worldwide, enabling even smaller children to carry the weapon into combat (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). Young children carrying weapons into combat is a disturbing image, and yet warlords and armed organizations have yet to stop recruiting children. These multiple causes that have led to the exploitation of child soldiers are still an issue today, but many organizations are helping to eliminate those sources.
Organizations, including those that are non-profit, throughout the world are working to stop the conscription of children into the military by making people more aware and getting states around the world to agree to International Laws concerning child labor.
For instance, the United Nations and other organizations are working to get more member states to ratify, sign and agree to the Optional Protocol. The Optional Protocol, which focuses on the involvement of children in armed conflicts throughout the world, was adopted on May 25, 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly. It raised the minimum age for involvement in armed conflict from 15 to 18 years old (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 9). At the time of integration, 79 states had signed the Optional Protocol, four having already ratified it (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 10). In the year 2008, it was reported that more than three-quarters of the U.N. member states had signed, ratified or agreed to the involvement of children in armed conflict in the Optional Protocol (Xanthaki 1). One campaign by The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers is for all states to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol. The organization is being endorsed by the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 10). The campaign also aims to get the U.S. to ratify the new child soldier’s …show more content…
protocol which will eradicate U.S. military support that promotes the use of child soldiers (Miller 3). Made evident by this information, many organizations around the world believe children should not be a part of war, and many are working hard to make it come true.
Many organizations throughout the world are working to stop the exploitation of children in armed conflicts while other groups are working with former child soldiers to help reinstate them into society. Organizations and governments across the globe, such as the U.N. Secretary-General, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict are calling for the prohibition of military conscription of children younger than 18 (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 8). Organizations have conducted workshops with activists to help engage them on the issue, do direct monitoring and engage them directly with some governments to influence changes in legislation (Morse 2). Some groups around the world are working with former child soldiers to help reinstate them into society by providing rehabilitation and reintegration assistance (Morse 1). Nonetheless, the actions of organizations are not the only way to end the use of child soldiers. One of the ways to discontinue the use of child soldiers would be to keep children in school and with their families (Xanthaki 2). Another idea would be to create programs that are done in-country using local communities (Morse 2). With the work of multiple organizations and groups around the world, the use of child soldiers has decreased, but work is still needed to cease the existence of children becoming soldiers.
Adolescent children that are being recruited to participate in armed conflict is a global issue that has been going on for decades.
The main causes of this problem include poor economic stability and the fact that children are so susceptible. Organizations are working to institute international laws that will end the exploitation of child soldiers while helping former child soldiers re-establish themselves into society. In order to help these organizations achieve their goal of having the number of child soldiers zero, the public must open their eyes to the problem and take a stand against groups that are using children as soldiers. In the end, the problem of child soldiers was best stated by P.W. Singer when he said, “Perhaps history will look back upon this period as an aberration, a phase when moral norms broke down but were then restored. That will only happen if we match the will of those who do such evil to children with our own will to do good” (Singer
5).
no human can even imagine, to kill innocent civilians, other children and even their own families These children are robbed from there childhood , education, freedom and child rights. People today should be working more to hold accountable people who force children to fight for their wars. The horrible and tragic fate of many unfortunate children is set on path of war, murders, brainwash and suffering. More nations should help to prevent these tragedies and to help stop the suffering of these unfortunate, and innocent children. These children are said to be fighting in about 75 percent of the world’s conflicts with most being 14 years or younger (Singer 2). In 30 countries around the world, the number of boys and girls under the age of 18 fighting as soldiers in government and opposition armed forces is said to be around 300,000 (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). These statistics are clearly devastating and can be difficult to comprehend, since the number of child soldiers around the world should be zero. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands adolescent children are being or have been recruited into paramilitaries, militias and non-state groups in more than 85 countries (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). This information is also quite overwhelming. Child soldiers are used around the world, but in some areas, the numbers are more concentrated.
Though the use of child soldiers is a global concern, the highest numbers have been reported mainly in Africa and Asia (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 4). It has been reported that child soldiers have served on every continent except Antarctica within the last 10 years (Singer 2). Around 120,000 adolescent children are now engaged in conflicts throughout Africa (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 4). In Sudan, for instance, thousands of children, some as young as 12, were recruited against their will into separatist and government groups (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 5). Thousands more children have been enlisted into the armed forces throughout Asia and the Pacific. The most significant numbers are in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and recently, Cambodia. Myanmar, a country in Asia, has some of the most child soldiers throughout the world, with children being recruited into both non-government and government armed forces (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 6). The number of child soldiers has been decreasing annually, but these children are still being taken against their will.
Children recruited into the armed forces in these countries are forced by their commanders to commit atrocities against other soldiers and villagers. They may also suffer through punishments themselves. Commanders have been known to force their child recruits to witness and/or commit abuses against their own families or captured prisoners (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 1). For instance, child soldiers recruited into Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army have been forced to tie their parents to trees and club them to death or be killed themselves (Taylor 1). Physical punishments are also experienced by the children. These punishments include beating, whipping, caning, and being tied up for days (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 1). Child soldiers are sometimes forced to take drugs to desensitize them despite the fact that drugs can harm them even more or are supplied with marijuana and opiates to lessen their fears of being in combat (Singer 4) (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 1). This evidence is frightening, and putting children through these kinds of brutal punishments is inhumane. Children of both genders are treated inhumanely, but females usually receive the brunt of the mistreatment.
Male and female child recruits both face punishment when they commit infractions, but many females are subject to harsher forms of treatment. Female child soldiers are especially susceptible to rape and sexual abuse (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 2). Some are given to military commanders as wives to be raped (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 1). In one case, girls seized by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda have become sex and labor slaves, forced to do any task their ‘husbands’ or commanders want them to (Taylor 1). These girls have no choice but to obey, and yet the fact that they are being forced to submit to this sexual abuse is far from disturbing. Though many young girls suffer from sexual abuse, many more under 18 years old are being taken advantage of in Sri Lanka where they are being trained as suicide bombers to allow them to evade government security (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 2). Another heartbreaking example was when 140 LTTE cadres lives were lost in an encounter with the security forces at Ampakamam in October of 1999, with 49 of the cadres being children, 32 of them girls between 11 and 15 years old (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 6). Looking at this evidence, it is clear that females are much more susceptible to more cruel forms of abuse than their male counterparts. These crises and problems have been caused by many different issues that have been going on for decades.
Children are some of the most vulnerable making it easier to be recruited into the armed forces due to the fact that sometimes they have no parent stopping them and because they are so easily influenced. According to Human Rights Watch, “Because children are often physically vulnerable, easily intimidated, and susceptible to psychological manipulation, they typically make obedient soldiers” (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 1). These young children are fascinated by the prestige and power of the military, thinking that they can make more of their life if they join (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 6). Many children believe that because they have been separated from their families and have no chance of escaping, they must prove their loyalty to their commanders and remain in the armed forces (“Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence” 4). These young adults usually decide to join the armed forces due to poverty, isolation, and intolerance within their community (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). Orphans and children that live on the street are at an even higher risk due to the fact that they have no parent to stop them from joining (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 6). Though some of the children may be forced into joining the armed forces, many have been driven into joining due to the fact that they can get regular meals and wages or because it is a custom in their culture (Miller 1). Evidently, many children join the armed forces because they believe they can establish a better life, but nonetheless, many are forcibly recruited by armed organizations and groups around the world. Children are clearly more susceptible to recruitment, but there are more causes that have led to the problem.
Economic and social troubles have led to the use of child soldiers in many countries around the globe, but the widespread accessibility of modern lightweight weapons has also contributed. In some regions, states have failed and warlords have maintained control while armed conflicts are driven more by religious hatred, ethnic strife, and personal profit rather than politics. In Africa, for example, conflicts were once cause-driven struggles, but have become criminal drives that are led by warlords who wish to achieve power and greed (Gettleman 2). Though warlords are still a problem, social and economic disruptions caused by globalization are acting to weaken states and undermine societal structures, making child soldiers a widespread presence (Singer 3). These economic and social changes have made enlistment levels difficult to sustain, in turn, causing recruitment ages to drop significantly (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). Laws are being made to increase the recruitment ages and help deter armed groups from using child soldiers. These laws have had little impact due to the fact that many of these groups have very little value for international standards (Xanthaki 2). In spite of the troubled economics in several countries, modern lightweight weapons have become available worldwide, enabling even smaller children to carry the weapon into combat (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). Young children carrying weapons into combat is a disturbing image, and yet warlords and armed organizations have yet to stop recruiting children. These multiple causes that have led to the exploitation of child soldiers are still an issue today, but many organizations are helping to eliminate those sources.
Organizations, including those that are non-profit, throughout the world are working to stop the conscription of children into the military by making people more aware and getting states around the world to agree to International Laws concerning child labor.
For instance, the United Nations and other organizations are working to get more member states to ratify, sign and agree to the Optional Protocol. The Optional Protocol, which focuses on the involvement of children in armed conflicts throughout the world, was adopted on May 25, 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly. It raised the minimum age for involvement in armed conflict from 15 to 18 years old (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 9). At the time of integration, 79 states had signed the Optional Protocol, four having already ratified it (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 10). In the year 2008, it was reported that more than three-quarters of the U.N. member states had signed, ratified or agreed to the involvement of children in armed conflict in the Optional Protocol (Xanthaki 1). One campaign by The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers is for all states to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol. The organization is being endorsed by the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 10). The campaign also aims to get the U.S. to ratify the new child soldier’s …show more content…
protocol which will eradicate U.S. military support that promotes the use of child soldiers (Miller 3). Made evident by this information, many organizations around the world believe children should not be a part of war, and many are working hard to make it come true.
Many organizations throughout the world are working to stop the exploitation of children in armed conflicts while other groups are working with former child soldiers to help reinstate them into society. Organizations and governments across the globe, such as the U.N. Secretary-General, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict are calling for the prohibition of military conscription of children younger than 18 (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 8). Organizations have conducted workshops with activists to help engage them on the issue, do direct monitoring and engage them directly with some governments to influence changes in legislation (Morse 2). Some groups around the world are working with former child soldiers to help reinstate them into society by providing rehabilitation and reintegration assistance (Morse 1). Nonetheless, the actions of organizations are not the only way to end the use of child soldiers. One of the ways to discontinue the use of child soldiers would be to keep children in school and with their families (Xanthaki 2). Another idea would be to create programs that are done in-country using local communities (Morse 2). With the work of multiple organizations and groups around the world, the use of child soldiers has decreased, but work is still needed to cease the existence of children becoming soldiers.
Adolescent children that are being recruited to participate in armed conflict is a global issue that has been going on for decades.
The main causes of this problem include poor economic stability and the fact that children are so susceptible. Organizations are working to institute international laws that will end the exploitation of child soldiers while helping former child soldiers re-establish themselves into society. In order to help these organizations achieve their goal of having the number of child soldiers zero, the public must open their eyes to the problem and take a stand against groups that are using children as soldiers. In the end, the problem of child soldiers was best stated by P.W. Singer when he said, “Perhaps history will look back upon this period as an aberration, a phase when moral norms broke down but were then restored. That will only happen if we match the will of those who do such evil to children with our own will to do good” (Singer
5).