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Children and war effects
Guy goodwin-gill and ilene cohn, child soldiers, the role of children in armed conflicts, a study on behalf of the henry dunant institute, clarendon p...
Guy goodwin-gill and ilene cohn, child soldiers, the role of children in armed conflicts, a study on behalf of the henry dunant institute, clarendon p...
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Child Soldiers: The use of children in the military. Child Soldiers have three different roles in armed conflict. They can take a direct part in hostilities, or they can be used for support, such as sexual slaves, lookouts, messengers, and spies. Also, they can be used in the political aspect of war. Because many children have been physically or mentally damaged by their participation in armed conflict, children should not have any involvement in any armed conflict and should be removed indefinitely from warfare. Every child has the right to go to school, free from violence. Children have been used in the military for hundreds of years.
Child Soldiers are not a new phenomenon. Child combatants have been used in battlefields throughout history. The earliest appearances of young children involved in wars come from the Bronze Age. It was customary for children in the Mediterranean area to serve as a charioteer, armor bearers and aides to lords, knights and other adult soldiers. This was mandatory in order for these children to succeed their adult mentors. Examples can be found in the oldest of literature. In the Bible, David serves as King Saul’s armor bearer. Another example is the story, in Greek mythology, of Hercules and Hylas. Hylas learned how to be a soldier when he served as Hercules’ armor bearer. In the Children’s Crusade in 1212, many children enlisted under the idea that divine power alone would lead them to victory. Although none of the children actually entered combat, they were sold into slavery for war profit. Perhaps one of the most notable examples is the Hitler Jugend, or Hitler Youth, in the closing days of World War II; the Hitler Youth organization “prepared the boys for military service” (Hitler Y...
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...ben. "Child Soldiers Around the World." Council on Foreign Relations. 2 Dec. 2005. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. .
Machel, Grace. "Children in Conflict: Child Soldiers." Child Soldiers - Children in Conflict. 1996. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. .
"Some Facts." Child Soldiers International "Working to Stop the Use of Children Worldwide" Web. 10 Dec. 2011. .
"Uganda: Child Soldiers at Centre of Mounting Humanitarian Crisis." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. .
"What's Going On?: Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. .
Think about how your life was when you were ten. For most people, the only worries were whether you finished your homework and if you’ve been recently updated for new games. Unfortunately, in Sierra Leone, kids at the age of ten were worried about if that day was the only day they’d be able to breathe. The cause of one of this devastating outcome is Sierra Leone’s Civil War. This war was a long bloody fight that took many lives and hopes of children and families.
In 1996 the war in Sierra Leone was becoming a horrific catastrophe. Children were recruited to be soldiers, families were murdered, death came easily, and staying alive was a privilege. Torture became the favorite pastime of the Revolutionary United Front rebel movement, which was against the citizens who supported Sierra Leone’s president, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. I was in the grips of genocide and there was nothing I could do. Operation No Living Thing was put into full effect (Savage 33).
A child soldier is defined as someone who is under eighteen years of age and is actively fighting in war. It is estimated by UNICEF that some 300,000 child soldiers, both boys and girls, are currently fighting in wars. A majority of children are turned into child soldiers through recruitment or force while others join because they live in a poverty stricken area or a war zone. (UNICEF) Most child soldiers range ...
“Child Soldiers Global Report 2001- Sierra Leone.” refworld. Child Soldiers International, 2001. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
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 ...
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...
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.
Shockingly, many of them have often been spotted carrying very sophisticated weapons, and many weapons that can take down planes. child soldier is detrimental to peace and to children who are the future (British Job p6). most people are wondering why children are used as soldiers. the most basic reason is children are more obedient than adults, they can almost carry out every order from their commander.... ...
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.
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.
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...
Wells, Karen C.. "Children and youth at war." Childhood in a global perspective. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2009. 152. Print.
To begin with, child soldiers are often forced into the position of being a child soldier, and are also forced into being violent. In an article I found, Child Soldiers, Prosecution, the text states, “Most children are forcibly recruited.” In my opinion, this shows that many of the child soldiers don’t have any interest in becoming a soldier, and most likely don’t want to be violent. Another quote I found in Armed and Underage by Jeffrey Gettleman says, “They are easily manipulated.” This is another statement that I believe really brings to attention how these are just kids, and we shouldn’t expect them to be mature enough to think about anything other than making sure they follow orders from their leaders.
Essay: Child Soldiers Child soldiers, are any child under 18 years of age, who is a part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity. Some of the most egregious use of young minors forced to fight took place in Burundi, Colombia, democratic republic of the Congo, Liberia, Myanmar, and Uganda. Around the world, thousands of boys and girls are recruited into government armed forces and rebel groups to serve as combatants, cooks, porters, messengers, or in other roles. The horrible and terrible fate of numerous unfortunate children is set on a path of war, murders, and suffering; more nations should help to prevent the tragedies and to end the suffering of these poor, unfortunate, innocent children. War, arguably a
Many governments send children to become soldiers. In my opinion I think that children should have a childhood and it’s wrong to take them away from their parents. I disagree because children could get hurt, also there is a lot of violence for children to see or to get hurt. Parents would get worried about them. Although some people might not agree with me, several reason support my opinion. My first reason is that children wanna be a soldiers because they think it’s cool and some are worried. Another reason is that children would get worried and also parents. Finally is that children do wanna see their parents.