Child Soldiers Research Paper

Words: 1961
Pages: 8

What is Child Soldiers ?
Military use of children also known as child soldiers, is anyone under the age of eighteen who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity. There are approximately 250,000 child soldiers in the world with 40% of them being girls. Most rebel groups use child soldiers in order to fight the government however some governments also use child soldiers in armed conflict for their own benefit.
Child soldiers are not only used as fighters, suicide bombers or human shields but also for sexual purposes, spies, messengers, porters and cooks.
As part of their job, children are forced to kill or maim a family member, friends or even themselves. Eventually this breaks the bond with their
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Several child troopers are desensitised to violence - usually at an awfully formative time in their development and this could psychologically harm them for eternity.

Even after they are unleashed or they escape, most children can’t return home to their families and communities as a result, they have been ostracised from their family. they might of been forced to kill a loved one or neighbour hence they will never be able to return. many women have babies from their time within the rebel teams and their communities/families do not accept them.

Most have disregarded on education- generally for several years. Without any education they have very little or no future prospects and generally return back to the rebel teams as they don’t have any other option of feeding themselves.

How do child soldiers get recruited?
Some children are abducted from their homes and are forced to join the army while other volunteer as they feel societal pressure and are under the impression that volunteering will provide a form of income, food, or security, and willingly join the
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"The majority of them experience sexual abuse, others do all kinds of jobs such as cooking, cleaning, day patrols and even fighting," he said.

Private security companies

Under-age males have additionally been seen operating for personal security firms, notably in urban centre and Helmand provinces, same a senior government official whom insisted on anonymity.

"The auxiliary police and private security contractors widely use child soldiers while the government and the AIHRC do not have the capacity to monitor, investigate and stop them," the official said.

Both the chief of police and the head of the AIHRC in Kandahar Province acknowledged that auxiliary forces and personal security companies had remained immune from formal investigations and observance with relation to the utilization of child troopers.

At least 2 non-government security firms declined to investigate the topic and turned down requests by IRIN to go to their headquarters.

The basic issue driving the accomplishment of under-age recruits - in the main boys aged 10-17 - is financial condition and state, in addition as an exact sense of glamour afforded by the bearing of