Picture taken from: http://www.tamilnational.net/images/2009/personal/Child_Soldiers_Coalition_TamilNational.jpg
What is the problem?
Hundreds of thousands of children, both boys and girls, are involuntarily being recruited into government armies, paramilitaries, and civil militia in more than 30 countries around the world (Kindberg 1). Most are abducted from their homes and their schools and forced to become soldiers. However, some children join to avenge family members and because they see it as the only way to survive. Although there are no exact figures, hundreds of thousands of children under the age of 18 serve in government forces or armed rebel groups and some are as young as eight years old (Facts About Child Soldiers).
Why is this happening?
There are several reasons as to why children are being forced to join militaries. Some are due to breakdowns in social structure, but the main reason is because children, as sadistic as it may sound, are cheaper to keep than adults are (Kindberg 2). Children need less food than adults and they don’t need to be paid because the armies keep them petrified that the next day will be their last. Also, when conflicts drag on, children are used to maintain high numbers of fighters even after heavy casualties (2). Lastly, children are not as mature as adults so they can be easily trained and brutalized into a very violent lifestyle.
Works Cited:
Children and Human Rights. Retrieved September 22, 2009 fromhttp://www.amnesty.org/en/children
Facts About Child Soldiers. Retrieved September 23, 2009 fromhttp://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/12/03/facts-about-child-soldiers
Kindberg, J. Child Soldiers. Retrieved September 22, 2009 fromhttp://www.thesituation.co.uk/features/child_soldiers/child_soldiers.html
The child soldiers of SierraLeon.http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/global_crime_report/investigation/soliers 1.shtml
Retrieved September 22, 2009 from
Ugandahttp://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/feature-stories/uganda-former-child-soldiers-excluded-adulthood-20051014
: Former Child Soldiers Excluded in Adulthood. Retrieved September 22, 2009 from
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