Quick Facts
- Participation of children under 18 in armed conflicts is illegal
- Most child soldiers are in guerrilla forces or terrorist groups
- Most child soldiers are found in Africa
- Red Hand Day on February 12 draws attention to it
- In 2004 there were 100,000 child soldiers in Africa
Expert summary
Military use of children can take three different forms. In the first, children take part directly in hostilities. In such cases those children are called child soldiers. In the second scenario, children assume support roles such as spies, porters, messengers, lookouts, or as sexual slaves. Thirdly, they may be used as human shields or in wartime propaganda. Throughout human history children have been cruelly used in military campaigns in spite of the society™s cultural morals. After 1970, a number of international conventions have been trying to limit the involvement of children in armed conflicts. The 2001 Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers reminds us that there are tens of thousands of such children in Africa, Asia, and Europe.Recommended content
Websites (11)
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Child-Soldiers.org
The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers works to prevent the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, to secure their demobilisation and to ensure their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. -
Human Rights Watch - Child Soldiers
In approximately 17 countries around the world, children are direct participants in war. Denied a childhood and often subjected to horrific violence, many thousands of children are serving as soldiers for both rebel groups and government forces in current armed conflicts. These young combatants participate in all aspects of contemporary warfare. They wield AK-47s and M-16s on the front lines of combat, serve as human mine detectors, participate in suicide missions, carry supplies, and act as spies, messengers or lookouts. -
ChildSoldiers.net
All over the world, more than half a million children under eighteen are incorporated in armies in more than 85 countries. At the moment, three hundred thousand of them are fighting actively in wars (see country list) Some of them are only seven years old. This website provides information and testimonies of children. Also you can support a former Childsoldier!
Videos (15)
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Child Soldiers Cry - Liberia
We meet the child-soldiers in rehabilitation, still haunted by their nightmares. This classic film paints a very human picture of the devastation of war. What can Liberia do to protect its future?
Photos (16)
Books (10)
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A Long Way Gone
While I did find this book painful to read, I am very glad I stayed with it. Ishmael tells his story in casual language, almost as if he were sitting next to you, sharing his experiences over (many cups of) tea. He relays his life to us chronologically, beginning in his home village. He and some friends took a several day trip to a neighboring village to show off their hip-hop skills at a talent show. Little did they know, that little trip probably saved their lives. For while they were away, the rebel army attacked their home village. -
Children at War
War is so terrible that sociopathic leaders in some parts of the world use child soldiers, ages 12 - 18, to fight their wars. This book tells the terrible story. This is not a new problem. Even in the American Civil War about 100,000 soldiers were age 15 or youngr. Many parts of this book are shocking as it explains the recruitment, training, and discipline of these young children as they are developed into brutal soldiers at the same time that they are robbed of their childhood. -
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