Child Soldiers in Africa

2728 Words6 Pages

“My mother was against my joining the soldiers in our town. But when she was killed by the rebels, I had to do something. Also we had no food, nothing to eat, but the soldiers always had more food. It was how I became part of the soldiers” (Francis 7).

In the world, there are about 300,000 children recruited as child soldiers (Hill 1). One-third of this number of children fight and serve for the government military or rebel groups in Africa (Hill 1). “According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, child soldiers are defined as all children engaged in hostilities under age 18. Although they are under 18, the roles of children in armed conflict are not limited because of their young age. Some children fight on the front lines of combat. Others perform manual labor, such as digging trenches, working in the kitchen, or carrying food, ammunition, or other supplies, often for long distances. Still others, primarily female children and adolescents, are reduced to sexual servants for military and rebel leaders” (Hill 1).

War Child started in 1999 is based of United Kingdom. War Child’s mission is to reinforce and enhance the protection and livelihoods of children living in an insecure and poor environment.”

This paper will analyze, critique, and offer improvements for improving the lives of child soldiers in Africa: providing social services and aids to ensure children’s mental and physical health care, helping the reunification of former child soldiers with family members, and providing educational and vocational skill programs for their reintegration into the civil society.

Child soldiers undergo post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after participating in armed conflicts (Hill 1). For child soldiers to ...

... middle of paper ...

...014, from http://www.warchild.org.uk/

Angucia, M. (2009, September 1). Children and war in Africa: the crisis continues in northern Uganda.(Report). International Journal on World Peace , 26, 95.

Francis, D. J. (2007). ‘Paper Protection’ Mechanisms: Child Soldiers And The International Protection Of Children In Africa's Conflict Zones. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 45(02), 207.

Hill, K., & Langholtz, H. (2003). Rehabilitation Programs For African Child Soldiers. Peace Review, 15(3), 279-285.

Stark, L., Boothby, N., & Ager, A. (2009). Children and fighting forces: 10 years on from Cape Town. Disasters, 33(4), 522-547.

Zack-Williams, T. (2006). Child soldiers in Sierra Leone and the problems of demobilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration into society: some lessons for social workers in war-torn societies. The International Journal, 25(2), 119-128.

Open Document