"When they came to my village, they asked my older brother whether he was ready to join the militia. He was just 17 and he said no; they shot him in the head. Then they asked me if I was ready to sign, so what could I do - I didn't want to die."
A former child soldier taken when he was 13. (Source: BBC report.)
A former child soldier taken when he was 13. (Source: BBC report.)
map
a map of countries that children has actively participated in conflict.
this map was made in 2001 by Child Soldiers International.
this map was made in 2001 by Child Soldiers International.
Issues raised by the use of child soldeirs
There are as many as 300,000 children in some thirty conflicts, these have occurred in places such as Burundi, Columbia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Myanmar and Uganda. Child soldiers have been recorded to have been in both the governments army, and the rebel militias. A report by the Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children (UPFC) says that there are 5000 under age soldiers serving in the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces. "In the recent visit to Uganda, the UN Special Representative on Children and Armed conflict indicated that 5,000 children still belong to the Ugandan army," says the report. and on the other side, minors make up almost 90% of the LRA’s soldiers. Some recruits are as young as eight and are inducted through raids on villages. They are brutalized and forced to commit atrocities on fellow abductees and even siblings. Those who attempt to escape are killed. often times, the recruitment of these children are against the law, they are children taken by armies either through force or under the age limit by national law or by international standards. Some children also join for survival. since most armies provide their soldiers with shelter, food and water, it is not unimaginable to believe that a child would make this choice. They believe this is their best chance of survival because they cannot fend for themselves. Many of their parents died by HIV or AIDS. Just in Uganda alone, more than 1 200 000 kids are orphaned due to AIDS, that is about 44 percent of the total orphans in Uganda. Without their parents helping them, the children begin to slowly cave in and become child soldiers. however, a violent childhood reduces healthy educational opportunities, leaving militancy the only viable career path in later years.
Unlike what most people think, not all child soldiers are actually soldiers. Both girls and boys are used in armed conflict and play a wide range of roles. These can involve be things involved in the front lines including fighters but they may also be used in other roles such as porters, couriers, spies, guards, suicide bombers or human shields, or to perform household duties such as cooking and cleaning. Girls and boys may also be used for sexual purposes by armed forces or groups.
Many human rights issues are raised by the use of child soldiers. Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, three rights are being violated by using children as soldiers. Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of punishment. And article 26: Everyone has the right to education. Many other issues are also raised. For example, child soldiers relate to economical issues. This is because the young men and woman used during wars have decreased the number of people in the countries new generation of workforce. With the loss of part of their workforce, countries like Uganda does not have the income to compete in the global market and prosper.
Unlike what most people think, not all child soldiers are actually soldiers. Both girls and boys are used in armed conflict and play a wide range of roles. These can involve be things involved in the front lines including fighters but they may also be used in other roles such as porters, couriers, spies, guards, suicide bombers or human shields, or to perform household duties such as cooking and cleaning. Girls and boys may also be used for sexual purposes by armed forces or groups.
Many human rights issues are raised by the use of child soldiers. Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, three rights are being violated by using children as soldiers. Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of punishment. And article 26: Everyone has the right to education. Many other issues are also raised. For example, child soldiers relate to economical issues. This is because the young men and woman used during wars have decreased the number of people in the countries new generation of workforce. With the loss of part of their workforce, countries like Uganda does not have the income to compete in the global market and prosper.
GLobalization and child soldiers
Child soldiers also have a link to the idea sustainable prosperity for all. sadly, with the use of child soldiers, the idea of sustainable prosperity is becoming more and more hopeless. First off, the children that are either forced to or volunteer to become child soldiers are not only affecting themselves, but also many others. This is because in many cases child soldiers are destroying a countries quality of life. They do this by terrorizing a countries' civilians. the Lords Resistance Army, or LRA, have been known for their widespread attacks on civilians, killing, raping, and looting. Kidnappings are so widespread that Amnesty International reported in November 2005 an estimated 30,000 “night commuters” --children hoping to avoid abduction-- were seeking refuge in urban areas each night. With the use of child soldiers in conflicts, not only does the conflict itself affect the economy of the country negatively by all the cost of weaponry and damages to the war zones, but the workforce required for a country to compete in a global economy is decreased too. With less people in the work force, there are less people that can contribute to the economy of a developing country by working. This is because for many child soldiers a good education was reduced by a violent childhood, making being a soldier the only possible way of life. With a part of the workforce taken away by militia groups, the countries income decreases, and the money needed for thing such as social services is not there, this decreases the countries overall quality of life.