Currently, 46 countries still recruit and train children under 18 years old. Children as young as 8 years old fight are the front lines act as spies, or supply weapons or lookouts or messengers or as suicide bombers or sexually exploited by the armies or non-state armed groups. Some of these children are either kidnapped or are forced to join these armed forces. Many are forced to join them because of financial constraints and social reasons; many are recruited by offering children with money or drugs. Many girls are kidnapped and kept as sex slaves by the male fighters. These children are trained in weaponry to fight and are exposed to violent crimes that affect them mentally. Underage girls are recruited as sex slaves by male fighters. Currently, there are an estimated 250000 child soldiers in the world.
WHY CHILDREN ARE RECRUITED AS SOLDIERS –
Despite the many drawbacks that children have they are more mouldable and can be indoctrinated easily. There are also many other reasons that children join the armed forces. Many join due to their financial backgrounds as they have to provide or make a contribution to their family, some join as their belief that the armed forces can keep them safe, lack of employment opportunities and poverty leads them to become child soldiers. Other children may be threatened or deceived into joining them by bribing the children with the hope of new friends or drugs. While others join on their own accord. Children who join on their own will join due to avenge their families or honor of fighting.
Effects on the children–
Children who join these armed forces and groups are involved in violent initiation traditions where they kill their family members or friends to show loyalty to the group. Such kind of violent acts strains the relationship they have with their community and scar them mentally. Many of these children are trained to fight along the front lines or given secondary roles such as spies or cooks or messengers. Regardless of their job prescription, children are mentally affected. Many children have zero access to education and safe living conditions. Many children have psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, higher risk of violent behavior, high risk of suicide, and anti-social behavior. Girls are made into sex slaves and are violently assaulted and raped. They suffer from pre and post-pregnancy difficulties from rape. Rape affects girls mentally and physically. Due to unhygienic living conditions where there are no menstrual products and rape, they are more prone to getting UTIs or STDs. All these factors make rehabilitation a difficult process for children.
CASES OF CHILD SOLDIERS–
AFRICA-
Many African countries still recruit child soldiers even though most African countries have agreed and ratified the African Charter of Rights and Welfare of The Child in 1990 which forbids the recruitment of children below the age of 18. The Democratic Republic of Congo has the highest number of child soldiers in the world. This is due to the first and second civil war in Congo which the army used by led by Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was 30 percent of children. A 2017 UN report on child soldiers in Africa said that the members of the terrorist military group in Somalia were 50 percent under the age of 18 and recruitment of child soldiers was also done by the Somali National Army.
MIDDLE EAST-
The Iranian government has started to recruit child soldiers from Iran and Afghanistan to participate in the Syrian civil war in 2018. Palestinian group Hamas which controls the Gaza strip still recruits children into its militia. The people’s Protection Units which is a militant Kurdish party in Iraq has abducted more than 200 children to enlist them into the Syrian civil war in 2018. Many non-state actors in the Syrian civil war have recruited child soldiers to participate in the war. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have recruited children from Sudan to fight in the Yemini Civil war and the British SAS were allegedly involved in training these soldiers.
ASIA-
In Afghanistan, many child soldiers are recruited by the Taliban. In Myanmar, the government army recruits children from the young age of 11 years old were recruited in 2002 as reported by a UN report. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front and government-linked paramilitary forces were recruiting child soldiers, in 2016 this was discontinued but according to a UN report in 2017 other armed groups were still recruiting children.
EUROPE –
All European nations have agreed and ratified the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, so the use of child soldiers isn’t in practice.
The ratification of the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict has significantly curbed the use of children in war as currently, 126 countries have ratified it. The treaty bans the recruitment of children under the age of 16 and also forbids non-state actors from recruiting children for any cause. The main struggle of child soldiers is their reintegration into society. Many of them have resentment and feel guilty about their community. It’s a very long process for them. They need to be given a safe environment, create a sense of forgiveness from the family. Most importantly need given access to education and support. The use of children in armed conflict is a desperate human rights issue that needs to be resolved. This is a desperate human rights issue. The rights of these children must be protected. Government and non-state actors must make efforts to safeguard the rights of these children.
Track2Training 