What jobs do child soldiers do?
A child soldier is not just someone who is involved in fighting. They can also be those in other roles such as cooks, porters, messengers, human shields, spies, suicide bombers or those used for sexual exploitation. It includes children recruited and trained for military purposes, but not used in war.
Why does Africa use child soldiers?
These soldiers were used to collect information for the army. Those that were not recruited to be doria joined the Peace Guards, a government militia unit, or worse, risked being coerced or bribed to be informants for the opposition.
Which country has the most child soldiers?
The UN has identified 14 countries where children have been widely used as soldiers. These countries are Afghanistan, Colombia, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
Why do militaries use children as soldiers?
Children may be trained and used for combat, assigned to support roles such as porters or messengers, or used for tactical advantage as human shields or for political advantage in propaganda. Children are easy targets for military recruitment due to their greater susceptibility to influence compared to adults.
Why are child soldiers used instead of adults?
Reasons child soldiers are recruited Children are recruited because they are more manageable, more obedient, and more easily manipulated than adults. Children are also less conscious of danger, and it is harder for them to see the difference between “absence” and “death”.
What is the issue with child soldiers?
Regardless of how children are recruited and of their roles, child soldiers are victims, whose participation in conflict bears serious implications for their physical and emotional well-being. They are commonly subject to abuse and most of them witness death, killing, and sexual violence.
Are child soldiers human trafficking?
Child soldiery can be a manifestation of human trafficking where it involves the unlawful recruitment or use of children (through force, fraud, or coercion) as combatants, for labor, or for sexual exploitation by armed forces.
Are child soldiers dangerous?
In reality the risks to children in armed groups is huge, and the after-effects can last a lifetime. Even if children are released or escape, they may find their families have been killed in conflict—or sometimes the children are rejected by their own communities, especially girls who have had babies with soldiers.
What drugs are given to child soldiers?
Children are given a mixture of cane juice (from sugar cane) and gunpowder which makes them high and is supposed to give them courage to go and fight at the front.”As in another case a worker explained: “Kids are often supplied with drugs; marijuana is the most common drug, but kids are given cocaine too, and cane …
Why did they cut off hands in Sierra Leone?
The RUF indicated that the reason for these actions was that amputees could no longer mine diamonds, which might be used to support government troops. The election slogan at that time was that the people ‘had power in their hands’, so the RUF would hack the hands off to prevent voting.
Is child marriage human trafficking?
Child trafficking and child marriages have been condemned globally as practices which are harmful to girls’ health and which violate their rights. This is because children in forced marriages coerced into these unions and are made to engage in acts similar to victims of sex and labour trafficking.
How old are child soldiers usually?
As many as 45 percent of its total recruits are under age 18. Twenty percent are under 15, with some as young as 11. The various rebel groups are estimated to have another 6,000 to 8,000 child soldiers.
What are the 3 types of red flags and indicators of human trafficking?
Human Trafficking Indicators
- Living with employer.
- Poor living conditions.
- Multiple people in cramped space.
- Inability to speak to individual alone.
- Answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed.
- Employer is holding identity documents.
- Signs of physical abuse.
- Submissive or fearful.
What happened to the child soldiers in Sierra Leone?
The infinite stories of trauma are paralyzing. For child soldiers in Sierra Leone, there is no easy way back to life. In their villages, they are seen as murderers and often lynched or stoned to death in revenge for the lives they took during the war. Girls are seen as impure and cast away by all men.
How can child soldiers be stopped?
Groups like Amnesty International and the UN are working to end the use of child soldiers in wars. The UN is campaigning to tighten up laws on selling guns to stop them reaching battlefields where child soldiers are fighting. They give the kids an education and counselling to try and help them return to civilian life.
How does child soldiers violate human rights?
“Child victims who have been forced or lured into armed groups suffer a broad range of human rights violations and abuses, including their right to life, right to not be subjected to sexual violence or other forms of torture, right to education and right to freedom of thought conscience and religion,” said Saeed Mokbil …
What are the psychological effects of being a child soldier?
Among war-affected children, child soldiers are more likely to endure harsher psychological consequences, such as PTSD, major depression, hostility, sadness, self-confidence and inability to cope with daily life.
Did 14 year olds fight in ww1?
Technically, boys had to be 19 to fight but the law did not prevent 14-year-olds and upwards from joining in droves. They responded to the Army’s desperate need for troops and recruiting sergeants were often less than scrupulous.