ElizabethWalla

3/11/15

ChildSoldiers
Haveyoueverawakenedthinkingthatyoumightbeforcefullyrecruitedintothearmy
withoutevenmakingthatdecision?Over300,000children,ourage,arefightinginawarright
now.Childrenfromsomeofthepoorestandweakestcountriesintheworldhavebeenselectedto
fightinanarmy.Childsoldiersarevictimsbecausetheirrightsandviolationsaretakenaway.
Variouschildrencommittobecomepartofagroup,oranarmy,becausetheydontfeel
liketheyhaveachoice.Thesegroupspromisefoodandshelterandabetterwayoflife,which
soundsgreatwhenyouarepoor,starvingandhavelostyourparentsandhavenohome.Army
recruiterstelltheyoungchildrenthattheyaregoingtoreceivecomplimentaryeducational
training,somethingthatishardtogetinsomecountries,aswellasweaponstraining.
Childsoldiersarechildrenundertheageof18whoarerecruitedbyastateandusedas
fighters,cooks,suicidebombers,humanshields,messengers,spiesorforsexualpurposes.Child
soldiersarerecruitedintothearmyoftheircountryataveryyoungage,regardlessofwhetheror
nottheywanttojointhearmyormilitary.Childrenaretakenfromtheirhomesandvillagesat
aroundtheageof10.Bothboysandgirlshavethesamedutiesandresponsibilities,butyoung
femalesoldiersareusedforsexualpurposes.
Inthelast13years,theuseofchildsoldiershasspreadtoalmosteveryregionofthe
world.Africahasthelargestnumberofchildsoldiersintheworld.Childsoldiersarealsobeing
usedinarmedconflictinCentralAfricanRepublic,Chad,DemocraticRepublicofCongo,

SomaliaandSudan,accordingto
WarChild.org
.Childrenareusedassoldiersbecausetheyare
easiertoconditionandbrainwash.Theydonteatmuchfoodandhaveanundevelopedsenseof
dangersotheyareeasiertosendintocombat.Childrenareoftensentintobattleasscouts,
decoysandhumanshields.
Childrencangetrecruitedintothearmyveryeasily.Theytrytoescapetheirvillagesand
whentheyarelaterspottedandfoundbysoldiers,theyaretakenin,recruited,druggedand
forcedtokill.Somechildrenareabductedfromtheirhomesandforcedtobecomesoldiers.
GraceAkallo,aformerfemalechildsoldier,wasforeverchangedwhenshewasabducted
fromherCatholicschoolalongwith139otherschoolgirls.Ispentsevenmonthsincaptivity,
butIsurvived,IescapedandIwentbackhome,shesaid.Gracesaidifchildrenranoutof
bullets,theydhavetoshoottheirfriendinordertoreceivemorebullets.Graceexperienced
everythingfromseeingadultsusechildrenashumanshieldstoseeingyounggirlsheragegetting
pregnantwiththeadultmenthere.
About40%ofallchildsoldiersintheworldaregirlsandwhilemanygirlsarentrequired
tofightinsomecountries,theyarerequiredtotreatthemenafteralongdayofwork,according
to
ChildSoldiers.org
.Femalechildsoldiersareoftenonlydepictedassexslaves,buthave
manyofthesamerolesandresponsibilitiesofmales.Manyotherrolesmightinclude:spy,cook
orchef,suicidebomberoraweaponstrainer.Femalesoldiersareusedasspiesandare
consideredhighlyvaluedamongcertainarmygroups.GraceAkallo,aformerfemalechild
soldier,wasforcedtomarchthroughtheforestwhenshewasabductedfromherschoolin1996.
Gracewalkedthroughthejunglehungry,thirstyandoutofenergy,beatenverybrutallyand
forcedtobeatotherchildreninordertolive.

Akalloalsotalkedabouthowshethought,JosephKony,theleaderofthegroupwhoabducted
herfromherschool,wasgoingtophysicallyeather.Shesaidhebrought[dead]peopleintothe
roomandsaidthattheyweretryingtoescape.

OnceGracegotoutofthearmy,itwasharderforhertocomebackandfocusonthingsinthe
realworld.Astudywaslaterconductedsayingthatfemalesarefrequentlythemostchallenging
childsoldierstorehabilitate.
Althoughchildsoldiersarebrainwashedanddruggedintobelievingthatkillingisthe
rightthingtodo,childrenmakethedecisionbyleavingtheirvillagesonpurposetogoandjoin
thearmy.Childsoldieringisverybad,buttherearesomepositivethingsaboutthewholeidea.
Childrenareeasilymotivatedandfastontheirfeetwhensomethingwouldcomeafterthem.The
childrenaresmallandcompactandareperfectformessengers,scouts,bombmakersandsuicide
bombers.Somepeoplesaythatchildrenaremoreeffectiveinambushesandfights.
Inconclusion,childrenarenotalwaysresponsiblefortheiractionsandresponsibilities.
Childrensrightsandviolationsaretakenawayataveryyoungageandtheyhavenocontrol
overthat.