Child Soldiers Injustice

Child Soldiers Ishmael Beah once said “My squad is my family, my gun is my provider, and protector, and my rule is to kill or be killed”(Beah 116). Most children live a normal and happy life, but not all children live that way. Some children hold baseball bats while others hold guns larger than they are; some children dodge dodgeballs, others dodge bullets. Most children go home to see their parents or guardians, child soldiers often go “home” to their squads and Lieutenants. Child soldiers can be rehabilitated if civilians and officials aren’t indifferent .

Recently, two million children have died over the past ten years due to becoming a child soldier. A huge deplorable development that has extended recently is the increase of child soldiers. Children are constantly being used as soldiers for various reasons. In some countries, there are more child soldiers than they are adults because children are more compliant. Children have been exploited as soldiers because they are being recruited to do a violent action, it is difficult for them to, later on, assimilate back to their lives, and child soldiers are regularly used in developing countries.

War, in and of itself, is an atrocity, but it becomes even more abhorrent when children are pulled into the conflict. Unfortunately, some military groups find children useful in the war effort. The wars these children are forced to be part of often leave wounds--both psychological and physical, but these kids can be healed, at least to an extent, and rehabilitated. Children are often used in war because it is easy and efficient to use them as compared to their adult counterparts. For one, children are easy to control, coerce, and indoctrinate.

It is easy to see that child soldiers have been involved all around the world for centuries. Singer states “by the twenty-first century child soldiers had served in significant numbers on ever continent of the globe but Antarctica.” From 1998 to 2001 the countries that were active combatants were Mexico, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Macedonia, Algeria, Chad, Republic of Congo, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, East Timor, Philippians, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and lastly the Russian Federation. Noticeably a lot of these listed countries are African. Singer writes, “Africa is often considered to be at the epicenter

Kassie Cordier Child Soldiers In discussions of child soldiers, one controversial issue has been if they should be granted amnesty for killing people. On the one hand, people who believe child soldiers are harmful argue that they should be prosecuted. On the other hand, people who think they were forced into fighting contend that they shouldn’t be prosecuted. The fact that they killed people, might kill more people and we shouldn’t promoting child soldiers has made the best option of dealing with them to not grant child soldiers amnesty.

Today, Human right groups estimate that there are at least if not more than 300,000 child soldiers worldwide. In poorer countries, there are more child soldiers because they fight of land, minerals and drugs. Even though the kids are the perfect weapons for these civil wars in poorer countries, because they are easily manipulated, extremely loyal, fearless and most importantly endless supply; there should not be kids fighting for their country unless they are 18 because of the physical and psychological problems.

My name is Abida and I am a student at Wayzata West Middle School. Imagine you, an innocent five year old, playing on the soccer field. Then, in an instant, you are blindfolded, and you feel hands on your back. You have been taken, no abducted. There is something heavy placed in your hand. It's a gun. A booming voice commands you, “Shoot,”. So, fearfully you do. You had killed your best friend that day. Fromm them on out, you are a spy, endure the worst physical torture, and are even sent out on the first lines of war. There are currently thirteen countries that use over 33 thousand child soldiers. Children as young as four can be apart of the military. Many of the children have been forced to join or join as a last resort. After these children

“Shooting became just like drinking a glass of water” said Ishmael Beah, an ex-child-soldier, “children who refused to fight, kill or showed any weakness were ruthlessly dealt with.” As children’s involvement in armed conflict keeps on increasing, “Child Soldiers” becomes a more and more popular phrase on newspapers and news. Many, however, do not have an insight view on what are actually behind simply “300,000 under-age, cold-blooded killers” (The Economist, Dec. 10th, 1998). A simple question “What do child soldiers fight for?” covers a vast range of elements including wealth, fame, or to simply survive. The issue of child soldier has taken place throughout human history and becomes more and more severe. The constitution of child

There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today. They usually range from 14 to 18 but some get pulled in at as young as 11. Child soldiers are used in war because their naive tendencies, poor backgrounds, and capability to be easily intimidated and they used for many different things.

The issue of child soldiery is a social issue that plagues society on a global scale. For instance, The Global Report 2008 which was edited by UNICEF and Child Soldiers Global Institution reported that 19 countries and territories employed children in government forces as well as non-state armed groups. Some countries include Iraq, Sudan, Uganda, and Somalia (Deak, 2013, p. 1). It is impossible to state the exact number of child soldiers around the world; however, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations estimate that that there are about 250,000 to 300,000 child soldiers (Szijj, 2010, p.4) It is evident that that child soldiery is an epidemic thus, I will investigate what social and political factors are responsible

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.

While countless people across the world slumber safe and sound in a shielded shell of harmony and peace, the horrors of war and conflict is the definite reality for many others around the world. Forced to become devices of war, to murder or be murdered, these child soldiers are compelled and constrained to see the cruel forms of evil that exist within our world at a very young age. They fight like warriors, and are forced, trained and conditioned to do criminal acts. They mostly either end up dead, or become traumatized and troubled survivors. These child soldiers represent the central symbol to how crooked and corrupt the core of warfare is.

As i read the article, “Armed And Underage” it states, “human rights experts estimate that more than 200,000 children worldwide are still being used as combatants, usually against their will.” This just shows how forced their actions are. The child soldiers listen to orders without any questions asked. Ever since they were born they have been taught that the act of war is a lifestyle. After killing another soldier it is

Children all across world are being exploited as child soldiers. Everyday kids younger the age of 10 are putting their lives on the line mostly by force. ¨Over the last ten years, two million children have been killed in conflict. Over one million have been orphaned, over six million have been seriously injured or permanently disabled and over ten million have been left with serious psychological trauma.¨(Children In Conflict). A child soldier is a child with armed forces; they’re trained to fight, cook, be porters, messengers, informant spies, etc. Countries all across the world have been using children to fight, places like the United Kingdom, Africa, and Asia lean on children to do their dirty work regardless of what laws are put

Children under the age of 18 who are recruited by a state or non-state armed group who are used for any military purpose are called child soldiers. These child soldiers have been fighting wars for centuries. As the world has evolved and changed, the use of child soldiers should have decreased. Instead, it seems to be on the rise. These children are not throwaways. They should not be accountable for their combat actions. Child soldiers should not be held responsible for their actions because they’re too young, they’re easily manipulated, and they can be rehabilitated.