Africa- Child Soldiers- Are child soldiers always forced to become child soldiers?
For centuries Africa has always been a troubled country due to many rebelling groups against the government, since their on going fight is still going they need recruits and that leads them to recruiting kids by choice or by force. Along with the many deaths it doesn't stop them, laws have been put in place but rebels get their way no matter what, Cambodia is corrupted, there is even soldiers from the government recruiting kids 8-16 year old. If they expect their laws to be followed, they have to follow them themselves. More than half of the kids that get recruited are used in the first line of attack, this means not many of them survive. They don't care about them, they just care about winning this war. In many small towns in Cambodia children fear for their lives of getting kidnapped, they don't have the choice to say no they are just taken from their families to become decoys in war. Although in some small parts of Africa things look settled, it is what happening behind closed doors and maybe they are becoming target to many rebelling groups. The only thing in between this war is the kids, all the lives lost because of two opposing groups.
Child soldiers are forced to become child soldiers.
According to Unicef, when investigating Children Soldiers. "Raiding villages to capture children into its ranks and force them to witness or take part in the torture and execution of their own relatives. Thus outlawed and brutalized, and often fed crack or other drugs." This shows that the children are forced to join the rebel group because they are forced to witness and sometimes even kill their own families, they get beaten and fed drugs in order to do certain tasks.
In an investigation of child soldiers, an article by Independent UK, Lizzie Dearden says "The boys, as young as 12, were seized from the community of Wau Shilluk in Upper Nile State. When militants searched from building to building to take them by force." This is saying the children were being forced to join the army since they really didn't have a choice or chance to escape. This is also showing how easy the militants can get there way in small towns.
In an investigation of child soldiers, BBC News article by Tom Burridge he interviewed an escaped child soldier and he said "Were forced to train, and if we didn't want to do it, we were beaten heavily." (Burridge). This quote brought us into the child soldiers world and it isn't fun, this young boy who hasn't even experienced going to school for three years is being forced to train and if he wouldn't do it he would get beaten terribly.
Research of child soldiers has shown, "Verifiable information that forces aligned with the government and opposition have abducted or coerced hundreds of children into their ranks in the past month alone."(Schlein). Not only are rebels kidnapping children but so is the government, this war is making both sides find and capture more recruits. Innocent children are brought into the endless wars between these two sides.
Evidence has shown that the government has been slow responding to child soldiers, "Monitoring human right violations in South Sudan has been slow to respond or report kidnappings. More than two weeks after the children were taken it might be to late to bring back the boys before they are sent to fight."(Patinkin). Not only does the government have to respond faster but they have to think of the children who are dying because of their war, they need to take care of their citizens and protect them.
In an investigation of child soldiers, "In late January documenting 25 cases of forced recruitment of children outside the mission's Malakal base." (Patinkin). This evidence shows that in many cases children don't have a choice to join and there is also no one helping to protect these children. They go missing every day and they don't communicate to help get these kids back to their families.
The international community could help these child soldiers by sending over more people who know about how these kidnapping works, also by protecting the children and putting strict laws about trying to abduct children, and making the army follow those rules as well if they want to be taken serious and if they want the people to follow these rules as well. They can also help by building more telephones poles to help the small towns communicate so they report incidents faster and get the children back before its to late. Not only should they communicate with the people but they should earn their trust, families want their kids back and they need to be sure that the government would do anything in its power to get them back. That's how the international community should help.
According to Unicef, when investigating Children Soldiers. "Raiding villages to capture children into its ranks and force them to witness or take part in the torture and execution of their own relatives. Thus outlawed and brutalized, and often fed crack or other drugs." This shows that the children are forced to join the rebel group because they are forced to witness and sometimes even kill their own families, they get beaten and fed drugs in order to do certain tasks.
In an investigation of child soldiers, an article by Independent UK, Lizzie Dearden says "The boys, as young as 12, were seized from the community of Wau Shilluk in Upper Nile State. When militants searched from building to building to take them by force." This is saying the children were being forced to join the army since they really didn't have a choice or chance to escape. This is also showing how easy the militants can get there way in small towns.
In an investigation of child soldiers, BBC News article by Tom Burridge he interviewed an escaped child soldier and he said "Were forced to train, and if we didn't want to do it, we were beaten heavily." (Burridge). This quote brought us into the child soldiers world and it isn't fun, this young boy who hasn't even experienced going to school for three years is being forced to train and if he wouldn't do it he would get beaten terribly.
Research of child soldiers has shown, "Verifiable information that forces aligned with the government and opposition have abducted or coerced hundreds of children into their ranks in the past month alone."(Schlein). Not only are rebels kidnapping children but so is the government, this war is making both sides find and capture more recruits. Innocent children are brought into the endless wars between these two sides.
Evidence has shown that the government has been slow responding to child soldiers, "Monitoring human right violations in South Sudan has been slow to respond or report kidnappings. More than two weeks after the children were taken it might be to late to bring back the boys before they are sent to fight."(Patinkin). Not only does the government have to respond faster but they have to think of the children who are dying because of their war, they need to take care of their citizens and protect them.
In an investigation of child soldiers, "In late January documenting 25 cases of forced recruitment of children outside the mission's Malakal base." (Patinkin). This evidence shows that in many cases children don't have a choice to join and there is also no one helping to protect these children. They go missing every day and they don't communicate to help get these kids back to their families.
The international community could help these child soldiers by sending over more people who know about how these kidnapping works, also by protecting the children and putting strict laws about trying to abduct children, and making the army follow those rules as well if they want to be taken serious and if they want the people to follow these rules as well. They can also help by building more telephones poles to help the small towns communicate so they report incidents faster and get the children back before its to late. Not only should they communicate with the people but they should earn their trust, families want their kids back and they need to be sure that the government would do anything in its power to get them back. That's how the international community should help.
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