Child Soldiers In War Essay

688 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How does war affect children

There are three hundred millions of children under the age of eighteen who are used in war for the purpose of violence and target killing. Because of the kids participating in the war, they do not get to have a chance at life. Child soldiers have unique health problems. Youths and teenagers utilize their energy to destroy humanity through weapons. Although, the contribution of children may help in the war, the environment has negative effects on youth and kids. Therefore, the use of child soldiers must stop throughout the world. Firstly, kids do not get to have a chance at life. What is life? It is a gift from God, which is full of enjoyment and exploring new worlds. Everyone has a right to live in this world with freedom and enjoyment including …show more content…

In the war kids suffers a lot of pain physically and mentally. They are given drugs to drink for the purpose to destroy their brains. By using drugs kids get a feeling of happy to kill other people. According to the iwpr.net about 95% of the children in army are introduced to drugs. These terrorist play with their minds. When giving them the drugs they do not see how many kids are affected by this. It damages their brain, the heart and other organs. It may cause diseases and even death at an early age. Also, children who used drugs do not do well in school, do not have the ability to think clearly. How can they think now when their brain is dead? Their brain only tells them to follow another. Another big health problem caused in child soldiers is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is a health problem in which after a traumatic experience danger and painful memories does not fade away from a person brain. A number of studies have shown child soldiers developing PTSD. Okello, Onen and Musisiv found that 27% to 35% of Ugandan child soldiers suffered PTSD. Kohrt study show 52.3% of Nepali children met the symptoms of depression, and 39% met the symptoms of PTSD. Why does every study show the highest rate of child soldiers developing PTSD? Because more and more children are affected by this disease every day. They are forced to see the death of others, and violence all around them. This cruelty never leaves their life alone. If they go to school they cannot learn properly, if they go to bed they cannot sleep properly the memories of war are always in their

Show More
Related

  • Impact of War and Violence on Children in A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

    1473 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Garbarino recognizes, the effects of war and such violence is something that sticks with a child and remains constant in their everyday lives. The experiences that children face involving war in their communities and countries are traumatic and long lasting. It not only alters their childhood perspectives, but it also changes their reactions to violence over time. Sadly, children are beginning to play more of a major role in wars in both the United States and other countries.... ...

    Read More

  • Child Soldiers: Kill or Be Killed

    1798 Words  | 4 Pages

    “This is how wars are fought now: by children, traumatized, hopped-up on drugs, and wielding AK-47s” (Beah). Innocent, vulnerable, and intimidated. These words describe the more than 300,000 children in nations throughout the world coerced into combat. As young as age seven, boys and girls deemed child soldiers participate in armed conflict, risking their lives and killing more innocent others. While many individuals recollect their childhood playing games and running freely, these children will remember “playing” with guns and running for their lives. Many children today spend time playing video games like Modern Warfare, but for some children, it is not a game, it is reality. Although slavery was abolished nearly 150 years ago, the act of forcing a child into a military position is considered slavery and is a continuously growing trend even today despite legal documents prohibiting the use of children under the age of 18 in armed conflict. Being a child soldier does not merely consist of first hand fighting but also work as spies, messengers, and sex slaves which explains why nearly 30 percent of all child soldiers are girls. While the use and exploitation of these young boys and girls often goes unnoticed by most of the world, for those who have and are currently experiencing life as a child soldier, such slavery has had and will continue to have damaging effects on them both psychologically and physically.

    Read More

  • Child Soldiers In The Civil War Essay

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    Children have been used as soldiers in many events, however two that stand out are the use of child soldiers in the Sierra Leone civil war and the drug cartels in Mexico. Most people agree that forcing children to be soldiers is wrong and not humane. The people that make them soldiers transform them into belligerent beings by force. Child soldiers of drug cartels and the armies of Sierra Leone were threatened with their lives if they didn’t become soldiers. The lives of these child soldiers are lives that nobody should live. Situations in both countries are horrible because of the high number of youngsters that are forced to take part in drug use and are transformed into extremely belligerent and inhumane people; in addition they are deprived

    Read More

  • Child Soldiers in Africa

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Child Soldiers

    2240 Words  | 5 Pages

    Though the use of child soldiers is a global concern, the highest numbers have been reported mainly in Africa and Asi...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Child Soldiers

    449 Words  | 1 Pages

    For decades, there has been constant conflict on whether or not children should be used in war or battle. Millions of children have been forced into fighting for militaries. The question is, should child soldiers be given amnesty? “Children are forced by commanders through false promises, drugs and things which you can’t even imagine, to kill innocent civilians, other children, and even their own families.” This quote from Child Soldiers helps give a good idea of what these children are being put through and what they are being forced to achieve.

    Read More

  • Child Soldiers: Converting Innocent Children into Armed Killers

    3190 Words  | 7 Pages

    These are the words of a 15-year-old girl in Uganda. Like her, there are an estimated 300,000 children under the age of eighteen who are serving as child soldiers in about thirty-six conflict zones (Shaikh). Life on the front lines often brings children face to face with the horrors of war. Too many children have personally experienced or witnessed physical violence, including executions, death squad killings, disappearances, torture, arrest, sexual abuse, bombings, forced displacement, destruction of home, and massacres. Over the past ten years, more than two million children have been killed, five million disabled, twelve million left homeless, one million orphaned or separated from their parents, and ten million psychologically traumatized (Unicef, “Children in War”). They have been robbed of their childhood and forced to become part of unwanted conflicts. In African countries, such as Chad, this problem is increasingly becoming a global issue that needs to be solved immediately. However, there are other countries, such as Sierra Leone, where the problem has been effectively resolved. Although the use of child soldiers will never completely diminish, it has been proven in Sierra Leone that Unicef's disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration program will lessen the amount of child soldiers in Chad and prevent their use in the future.

    Read More

  • Child Soldiers Amnesty

    819 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the major problems in the Middle East is child related. To be specific, child soldiers. It is estimated that there are over 38,000 kids who are forced into being child soldiers (Storr). Because child soldiers can’t prevent their horrific fate, they deserve to be granted amnesty by the United Nations. One main reason why they should be given amnesty is because they are forced and drugged into becoming killers.

    Read More

  • Child Soldiers Should Be Granted Amnesty Essay

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    “More often than not children have no say in whether they enlist or not and once recruited the children become brainwashed through the use of drugs and alcohol. The drugs and alcohol make the children become more compliant enabling them to commit atrocities which they never would have before,” (Child Soldiers: Victims or Perpetrators?, childsoldiersinvisiblechildren.org). They are exposed and forced to consume alcohol and drugs; such as marijuana, crack, and gunpowder mixed with cocaine. These are obviously substances that would mess with anyone’s mind, not just children. It has an even bigger effect on minors, who’s brains aren’t fully developed.

    Read More

  • Should Child Soldiers Get Amnesty Essay

    894 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyday hundreds and thousands of people are dying and getting harmed in one way or another. What people don’t know is that these acts are coming from a minor, not even an adult. Becoming a child soldier is very risky and will change a life forever. Child soldiers are children that are illegally in war, yet doing vicious acts of crime. There has been a major debate going on for quite some time between those who think child soldiers should or should not get amnesty.

    Read More

  • Child Soldiers Research Papers

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    The use of child soldiers is a topic that is persistently ignored by several countries and organizations, as nothing is being done to help these children who are stuck in this traumatic childhood. Due to the desperation of soldiers in various regions and combats zones around the world, children are forcefully recruited into army, and onto the treacherous battlefield. Although several investigations into the use of child soldiers have been conducted, they have failed to resolve the issue at hand. Nations all over the world need to come together to take action; child soldiers are victims. They were forced into the lifestyle they went through, drugged, and underwent intensive therapy to help them recover from the tragic events they witnessed.

    Read More

  • What Are Child Soldiers Doing Wrong

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    In many Middle Eastern and African countries, independent groups and even armies are enlisting children, many younger than ten. Some are forced to do it, being taken from their homes, or even enlisted by their own parents. Child soldiers are unable to understand the consequences of their actions, and they kill others mindlessly. Even if the children do initially understand what they are doing is wrong, they are lied to and brainwashed until they believe it is right. Child soldiers should not be punished with war crimes because they do not want to fight, do not understand what they are doing wrong, and are constantly being brainwashed by leaders.

    Read More

  • The Effect of War in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    War has always been something to be dreaded by people since nothing good comes from it. War affects people of all ages, cultures, races and religion. It brings change, destruction and death and these affect people to great extents. “Every day as a result of war and conflict thousands of civilians are killed, and more than half of these victims are children” (Graca & Salgado, 81). War is hard on each and every affected person, but the most affected are the children.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Child Soldiers

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    All throughout the world children are forced to do something that no child would ever want to do. Be a child soldier. On the battlefield children can either kill others or be killed. Over 300,00 child soldiers are active in the world conflicts. Many child soldiers are kidnapped, drugged and forced to kill others.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Child Soldiers

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    More than 200,000 children worldwide are still being used as combatant. Over the past few days in school, I have been learning a lot about child soldiers. Child soldiers are children that are at war and are trying to fight for their lives. I believe that child soldiers are victims. Child soldiers are being forced to enlist into the war, there being brainwashed, and not being treated fairly.

    Read More

More about Child Soldiers In War Essay

Open Document