Table of Contents
How are child soldiers used?
Child soldiers are boys and girls who are often abducted and used as combatants, forced to act as human shields or conduct executions, deployed as suicide bombers, or used to make or transport explosives. Other roles include working as guards, spies, messengers, porters, cooks or domestic servants.
Why are child soldiers used in war?
Many children are forced to join military groups at a young age. Child soldiers are also easier to manipulate and force into conflict. Recruiters typically target children from troubled areas or conflict zones, likely accustomed to violence and with fewer educational or work opportunities.
Are child soldiers still used today?
Despite global efforts to end the use of child soldiers, girls and boys are still forced into combat – as fighters and in other roles – in at least 14 countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Somalia. Tens of thousands of children are estimated to be recruited and used by armed groups.
Why should we help child soldiers?
“By providing access to education, opportunity and justice, War Child gives children in war-affected communities the chance to reclaim their childhood.” With better education and opportunity, one can better resist the appeal of armed groups.
Why are their child soldiers?
Many children join armed groups because of economic or social pressure, or because children believe that the group will offer food or security. Others are forcibly recruited, “press-ganged” or abducted by armed groups. Once recruited, child soldiers may serve as porters or cooks, guards, messengers or spies.
Why do people need child soldiers?
For child soldiers, personal financial or familial economic situations rank high as a reason to join. When food and resources become scarce, the alluring promise of barracks that offer a warm bed and readily available food is difficult to resist. Poverty is also a root cause of girls becoming child soldiers.
What conflicts have used child soldiers?
The UN has identified 14 countries where children have been widely used as soldiers. These countries are Afghanistan, Colombia, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
Who started child soldiers?
The first modern use of child soldiers in the region was actually during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Iranian law, based on the Koranic sharia, had forbid the recruitment of children under 16 into the armed forces.
How many child soldiers are there in Africa right now?
Help us continue to fight human rights abuses. More Than 120,000 Child Soldiers Fighting in Africa. A new report on child soldiers in Africa has found that more than 120,000 children under 18 years of age are being used as soldiers across the continent. Some of these children are no more than 7 years of age.
How are children recruited for the Armed Forces?
Children are often recruited by government armed forces as a matter of course. Some children do volunteer to join the armed forces, but tens of thousands of children are forced to join up, sometimes at gunpoint.
What is the role of children in combat?
When not actively engaged in combat, children are often used to man checkpoints. Adult soldiers tend to stand several metres further back so that if bullets start flying, the children will be the first victims. And in any conflict where even a few children are involved as soldiers, all children,…
What has changed since the Graça Machel Report?
Many of the more than 70 speakers noted that, despite limited progress — including the conclusion of a number of national action plans to end violations against children — many of the grim realities outlined in the 1996 Graça Machel report continued unabated or had even worsened in the face of a deteriorating global security landscape.