All around the world, especially in third world countries, children are being forced to fight in wars and conflicts that they did not start, and they do not need to fight in. Today, it is estimated that over 300,000 children are enlisted in armies and militias around the world (Kaplan). These children are called child soldiers. A child soldier is classified as a person enlisted in an army or militia that is under the age of eighteen. (11 Facts). They are recruited into armies for many different reasons and used for many different tasks. There are a number of countries that children are forced to fight in such as Columbia, Myanmar, Iraq, and many more (11 Facts/Kaplan). Children should not be forced to be soldiers in war because it puts young lives at risk. Children are forced to do and watch acts that lead to permanent and severe psychological damage, and are abused in the armies.
Many people around the world have their lives put in danger daily. Child soldiers are some of these people, but they are children to live. Their lives are a contestant battle for survival, and this lifestyle is not a necessary one for children. Armies recruit children because it is military genius. Children are impressionable, trusting, and vulnerable. These traits make it easy for the commanding officers to make the children into perfect killing machines (Kaplan). Children come to the armies too young to have their own morals, so the army can make them immoral (Kaplan). When they have no morals, the army can use them to do some of their dirty work, such as killing. When children are forced to kill in a war zone, their lives are put at risk. It is a two-sided war and there are people fighting back. This puts many people’s, including children’s, lives ...
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As defined by Timothy Webster, author of Babes with Arms: International Law and Child Soldiers, a child soldier is “any person under the age of eighteen who is or has been associated with any kind of regular or irregular armed group, including those who serve as porters, spies, cooks, messengers and including girls recruited for sexual purposes (Webster, 2007, pp.230). As this definition reveals, a child soldier is more than simply a child with a gun. It is estimated that there are approximately 300,000 children under the age of 18, being used as soldiers in 33 conflicts currently, and this figure continues to rise (Webster, 2007, pp.227). Similarly, in 1999 it was estimated that more than 120,000 children, under the age of 18, were used as soldiers to fight ...
...volving death and separation. Children within the United States whose parents serve in the military are left to deal with issues of separation and fear. The fear of not knowing when their parents are coming home, and if they’ll come back the same person they were when they left. Since we are incapable of hiding violence and the act of war from children, it is better to help them understand the meaning behind it and teach them that violence is not always the answer. Children react based on what they see and hear, and if the community and world around them portrays positive things, then the child will portray a positive attitude as well.
There is no exact known number of children currently being utilised in warfare worldwide. The issue of the military use of children is so widespread that no figure can be calculated, although it is estimated that there are currently over 250,000 child soldiers across the world. Many are drugged and brainwashed into murder, many are forced to sever all ties with their family or watch them die. Most are faced with a simple choice: kill or be killed. Although the notion of child soldiers is vastly alien to contemporary Australian society, it is a reality in many parts of the world.
Wells, Karen C.. "Children and youth at war." Childhood in a global perspective. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2009. 152. Print.
Beah uses the logic of readers to his advantage when he lionizes why the use of child soldiers should come to a halt. When Beah was talking about his life as a child soldier he said, “The idea of death didn’t cross my mind at all and killing had become as easy as drinking water” (Beah 112). At any time in society, in the past and in the future, it is not logical for killing to be easy, especially as a child. Beah includes this quote to help the reader understand the effects of child soldiery. It demonstrates child soldiery can take the children into the dark depths of despair, and make it hard for them to escape from this horror. Beah wants to compel the reader to think and question this statement, because every reader in their right mind would know that killing should not be easy. Through the reader’s logic, Beah can prove to them why the use of child soldiers is
Child soldier is a worldwide issue, but it became most critical in the Africa. Child soldiers are any children under the age of 18 who are recruited by some rebel groups and used as fighters, cooks, messengers, human shields and suicide bombers, some of them even under the aged 10 when they are forced to serve. Physically vulnerable and easily intimidated, children typically make obedient soldiers. Most of them are abducted or recruited by force, and often compelled to follow orders under threat of death. As society breaks down during conflict, leaving children no access to school, driving them from their homes, or separating them from family members, many children feel that rebel groups become their best chance for survival. Others seek escape from poverty or join military forces to avenge family members who have been killed by the war. Sometimes they even forced to commit atrocities against their own family (britjob p 4 ). The horrible and tragic fate of many unfortunate children is set on path of war murders and suffering, more nations should help to prevent these tragedies and to help stop the suffering of these poor, unfortunate an innocent children.
Throughout the world children younger than 18 are being enlisted into the armed forces to fight while suffering through multiple abuses from their commanders. Children living in areas and countries that are at war are seemingly always the ones being recruited into the armed forces. 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.
By definition, a child soldier is any person below 18 years of age who is recruited or used by an armed force in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, coo...
As an example, in the article Child Soldiers it states “ More often than not, children have no say in whether they enlist or not and once recruited the children have become brainwashed through the use of drugs and alcohol” (Child Soldiers) As you can see, this shows how children have no control if they kill or not from either being threatened with death or being drugged. In addition, in the article The Child Soldier on Trial at Guantanamo it talks about how a child soldier got interrogated by guards where they told him he would be gang-raped and murdered if he didn’t obey (Prasow). This is another example of how these kids have to choose between life and death at such a young age. This is just one main reason why these kids deserve
The Web. 24 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Carson, Thomas. A. A.
The debate on child soldiers has been one in which has lasted for many years, with only recent clarification on what actually consists of a child soldier. Through the generalised image of a young African boy as the basis of what consists of a child soldier, leaves a lot of confusion in the definition of a child soldier itself. The ambiguity of legislation has led to different types of child soldiers, which in turn have different levels and classifications of agency. Although there has been an attempt to improve the life options of child soldiers through international treaties and legislation, their effectiveness is lacking through the continuation of the use and recruitment of child soldiers. Consequently, more needs to done with measures put
The Web. The Web. 6 Jan. 2014. Smith, Chris.