child soldiers around the world

CHILD SOLDIERS AROUND THE WORLD

WHAT IS A CHILD SOLDIER?

• “Any child—boy or girl—under eighteen years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity.”The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF)

• Nearly 80% of conflicts involving child soldiers have soldiers:

- Below the age of fifteen- Some as young as seven or eight

HOW WIDESPREAD IS THE USE OF CHILD SOLDIERS?

• Approximately 300,000 children are believed to be combatants in some thirty conflicts worldwide.

• Burundi, DRC, Somalia, Liberia, Uganda, Chad, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, Colombia

ARE CHILD SOLDIERS EFFECTIVE?

• Trusting• Vulnerable• Intimidated• Daring• Naïve

WHAT HAS LED TO THE RISE OF CHILD SOLDIERS?

• Social structures around them are deteriorating (AIDS epidemic = 40 million orphans)

• Best option for survival• Revenge after families have been abused or

murdered• Weapons = lighter, easier to use• Effective, cheap, expendable fighters• Demoralize professional fighters

ARE GIRLS USED AS SOLDIERS?

• 30 % of armed groups using children include girls.

• Sexual abuse• Mistresses by army leaders

WHAT BECOMES OF CHILD SOLDIERS WHEN THEY LEAVE THEIR ARMIES?

• If they survive…• Severe mental health problems• Lack money• Lack survival skills• Leads to more conflict

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO LIMIT THE USE OF CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS?

• Political solutions to end conflicts

• Governments have responded to both advocacy and the threat of sanctions

• International Criminal Court (ICC): Issuing arrest warrants, prosecution of leaders, no police force to arrest individuals