Child Soldiers In The World Today. By, Amanda Wagner and Ben Whynot

How Many? There are an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 child soldiers in the world today. About 40% of all child soldiers in the world are female.

Where? Child soldiers are not only confined to certain parts of the world they are used in a lot of countries all over the world. There are concentrated areas in the middle east and Africa in which child soldiers are more frequently used. The closest country to us currently using child soldiers is Mexico.

Who Are Recruited? Some children are forced to become soldiers in order to survive. Some children become soldiers to get revenge for the loss of their parents, brothers, sisters, or other family members. Some volunteer because their schools have been destroyed and they have nothing else to do.

And Why? Children are recruited as soldiers because they are plentiful, cheap, often un-paid, do not require as much food, and will listen to orders given by their commanders because they have a certain lack in morals that adults have. Children will often kill without thinking of the consequences. They are also fearless.

What is being done to them? Child soldiers are being stripped of their childhood by being trained to operate weapons and being taken away from education and any family they may have left. Child soldiers are being abused mentally and in some cases physically. They are “brainwashed” to kill other people, and sometimes they are used for sexual purposes.

How children are used in armed conflict. Children are used as the “frontline”. They are used to run across mine fields to detonate any land mines that may still be in the ground. Sometimes used as a “shield” in the sense that the enemy will feel mercy because they are only children.

Areas of child soldiers around the world

Girls in Armed Conflict. 40% of all child soldiers around the world are girls. Females face even more trauma than males in some cases because they are more likely to get sexually abused.

New Technology and Child Soldiers… New light weight and easy to use weapons are making child soldiers more popular. The children require much less training with the weapons and they can use them from a very young age.

Drugs and Child Soldiers… In many countries child soldiers are given drugs before battle to blunt the fear and pain the children feel. Children have been given amphetamines, tranquilizers, and many other substances by their commanders. The commanders say the kids will do anything when given drugs.

What Is Being Done To Help? The U.N has been campaigning to tighten up laws on selling guns in attempt to stop them from getting to the areas where they will be given to child soldiers. There are groups set up to help ex-child soldiers by giving them an education and trying to get them back into civilian life.

References http://www.child-soldiers.org http://www.worldrevolution.org http://www.mofa.go.jp http://www.un.org/works/goingon/soldiers http://www.library.thinkwuest.org http://www.google.com http://www.wikipedia.org