It is a global problem with estimates suggesting as many as 300,000 children are being used in 30 conflicts around the world child soldiers. When in april 2009, 112 child soldiers who had served with the rebel national liberation forces fln were freed following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the fln and the government of burundi, the existence of modernday child soldiers was brought forcefully into the international spotlight. Duop, a former child soldier who is around 16, was greeted by his family and neighbors the moment he arrived at a displaced persons camp in bentiu, south sudan. Child soldiers in africa refers to the military use of children under the age of 18 by national armed forces or other armed groups in africa. The facts about child soldiers united states department. Girl soldiers arent just at risk for longlasting physical and. Forty percent of the worlds armed forces use child soldiers.
Mary, a 16yearold demobilized child soldier forced to join an armed rebel group in central africa. The true story of my ten years in captivity and my journey to freedom in america st. They signed a ceasefire agreement with the rebels, the fln. So that they can punish both parties without looking like the bad guy. Children are exploited in staterun armies, paramilitaries, and rebel groups. Seatlle, washington child soldiers have been exploited throughout history and are currently involved in the conflict in syria. Child soldiers are children under the age of 18 who are recruited by armed groups who use children as shields, cooks, suicide bombers, fighters, spies, messengers andor for sexual purposes. Girls are said to make up an estimated 40% of all child soldiers war child. More than 50 groups in fourteen countries recruiting child soldiers.
The child soldiers can be seen in democratic republic of congo. There were around 30,000 children hired during the second congo war. Amnesty international huma n r i g hts in the cu rric u l um r e sou r c e st u dent wor k sheet child soldiers activity sheet 1 child soldiers child soldiers are young people under 18, who fight in wars. The very existence of the coalition to stop the use of child soldiers and the global report, outlining the use of. Myanmar fact sheet september 2016 working group on. There are many misinterpretations around how and why child become involved in conflict and how to help children recover from trauma. It works to achieve this through advocacy and public education, research. Children, not soldiers united nations office of the. This practice must be stopped anyhow to safeguard the lives of children. Child soldiers are used as instruments in war machines that execute even parents and friends. In 2008, it was estimated that 40 percent of child soldiers worldwide were in africa, and that the. Memoirs of a boy soldier farrar, straus, giroux, 2008.
Pdf version i still dream about the boy from my village who i killed. Child soldiers edition volume 4, issue 2 spring 2008 human rights education the human rights education program is designed to introduce international human rights and responsibilities to k12 students. Children continue to serve on the frontline in numerous conflicts at least ten according to the 2004 global report on child soldiers of the coalition to stop the use of child soldiers. United nations, feb 11, 2014 parties in syria, south sudan and the central african republic are recruiting children as soldiers. Many erroneously believe that child soldiers are mostly boys. The age limit of 18 years is taken from the convention on the rights of. When in april 2009, 112 child soldiers who had served with the rebel national liberation forces fln were freed following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the fln and the government of burundi, the existence of modernday child soldiers was brought forcefully into the international. Child soldiers article pdf available in bulletin of the atomic scientists 575. Students will identify the physical and emotional challenges that child soldiers face. Welcome to, a global movement of millions of young people making positive change, online and off.
In some other countries, if a girl gets pregnant, they may take the baby away from her and get rid of it. I see him in my dreams, and he is talking to me, saying i killed him for nothing, and i am crying. More than 50 groups in 14 countries recruiting child soldiers. By its very nature it is difficult to obtain accurate figures for the number of child soldiers on both sides of the conflict in sudan, however figures from 2006 suggest that there were around seventeen thousand child soldiers serving in government forces, armed militia and various rebel groups, including up to five thousand in the sudan peoples liberation army alone. During her visit to myanmar in july 2015, leila zerrougui, the special representative of the secretarygeneral for children and armed conflict, acknowledged the progress accomplished, but noted that gaps remain to prevent the recruitment and use of children and ensure accountability. Though child soldiers are often associated with african conflicts, they have been used throughout history in armies all over the world. In the early 20th century, women in the united states and the uk started petitioning their governments to end child labor. Child soldiers, armed conflicts, and tactical innovations. For child soldiers, every day is a living nightmare forbes. Worldwide, armed forces and nongovernmental armed groups recruit and exploit children. Complex economic and psychological factors have contributed to this large number. Jul, 2012 mark drumbl, author of reimagining child soldiers in international law and policy, on the reality of child soldiers. Some children are under the age of 10 when they are forced to serve. Iraqs child soldiers iraqs popular mobilization units are following in the footsteps of irans basij in their recruitment and use of child soldiers.
Myanmar the government of myanmar signed a joint action plan with the united nations on 27 june 2012 to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children by the tatmadaw kyi myanmar armed forces. In countries such as colombia, illegal armed groups insert iuds and offer mandatory injections to prevent girls from getting pregnant. Although wars in afghanistan and iraq have dominated western media in recent years, some developing countries have been engaged in bloody battles for decades. Apr 14, 2016 toy soldiers, also known as tin soldiers are small figurine toys, typically based on members of combat or military groups. The military use of children is elaborated on facts about child soldiers. Which, could be a reason why society continues, time and time again, to charge children as adults in times of war. This lesson presents an overview of where, why, how, and in what conditions children are used as child soldiers.
Folk depicted as toy soldiers range from those of modern to historical armies, pirates, cowboys and knights, among others, sometimes in both genders. Child soldiers are seen are expendable, and may be sent into minefields or other dangerous situations ahead of older combatants. Toy soldiers, also known as tin soldiers are small figurine toys, typically based on members of combat or military groups. Young polish resistance fighters in warsaw during uprising, poland, 1944 chinese boy hired to assist troops of chinese 39th division during the salween offensive, yunnan province, china, 1944 united states army signal corps a chinese nationalist soldier, age 10, member of a chinese division from the xforce. A child soldier is a child that takes part to actively fight in a war. Around the world, an estimated 250,000 childrensome as young as 7are involved in armed conflicts. The use of child soldiers in conflict can have longterm consequences for the children concerned. Child soldiers edition the advocates for human rights. Children, my dear brother, are the best fighters of. In fact, 30% of armed organizations that use children have girls. Many child soldiers are left stigmatized and unable to return to his or her home community. A child soldier is defined as any child boy or girl under 18 years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity, including, but not limited to. Child soldiers around the world council on foreign relations. Get help with your essay if you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help.
It uses the framework of the universal declaration of human rights to help students understand and appreciate common human values, encourages. Children, my dear brother, are the best fighters of the century. The coalition to stop the use of child soldiers says that no one less than 18 years old should be recruited by regular or auxiliary troops. Here are some gutwrenching images of kids at war throughout the twentieth century. People other than the government are recruiting underage children and hiding their actions from the government. Much can happen that will touch the rest of their lives for good or for ill. Some children lie about their age to join political battling struggles.
Those three countries are among the 14 where the united nations says children are enlisted by armed groups. In this lesson, students will conduct research and write a formal paper on child soldiers. Students will learn about primary and secondary sources and how to determine the credibility of their sources. It is impossible to know exactly how many child soldiers there are in the world, but experts suggest that there are between 250,000 and 300,000. Sudan child soldiers sudan child soldiers facts about. The underage recruitment of child soldiers is widespread. Children who are poor or have little access to education have a higher chance of being forcibly recruited. Child soldiers today, there are between 250,000 and 300,000 children fighting in the world. The use of child soldiers in african armed conflicts. The 11 facts you want are below, and the sources for the facts are at the very bottom of the page.
Coerced, enticed or abducted, these children serve as combatants, porters, spies, human mine detectors and sex slaves. Jul 03, 20 5 facts about child soldiers the subject of many a documentary, news report, and even novel, the figure of the child soldier emerged onto the global stage in the late 20 th century, largely the result of publicized conflicts in places like uganda and the democratic republic of congo. Children often become involved in these conflicts as soldiers and even human shields. Help us achieve universal ratification of the child soldiers treaty by writing the ambassadors for key countries. It is thought that 40% of child soldiers are girls.
The official military age age at which an individual is allowed to become enlisted in the military for most countries in africa is 18 years and even 21 in some others but this is not the case especially in countries where there is. In september 2014, the government adopted a workplan for compliance to accelerate the implementation of the action plan. Typically, this classification includes children serving in noncombatant roles such as cooks or messengers, as well as those serving in combatant roles. Everyone began to notice the issue of child soldiers in april 2009 when 112 child soldiers were freed. The children of war by jennifer plante there are more than 300,000 child soldiers in the world today. They believed that a childhood is a fundamental human right. Argumentative essay on child soldiers 879 words 4 pages. With the increase in intrastate wars in the 1990s after the end of the cold war, the use of children as soldiers increased rapidly. It is really shameful and an alarming situation in todays modern world where children are being used to fight wars. The age limit of 18 years is taken from the convention on the rights of the child. The coalition to stop the use of child soldiers was formed in may 1998 by leading nongovernmental organizations to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers, both boys. In 1991 until 2004, sierra leones civil war happened.
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