Child Soldiers Worldwide
Sierra Leone
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Located on the west coast of Africa, Sierra Leone has a rapid rising population of 6,647,691 (2016). Since Sierra Leone has such a huge population mainly comprised of children, it makes it a lot easier for children to be abducted and recruited.
The RUF, or Revolutionary United Front force children to leave their homes and abandon their families to take part in combats. Sometimes these young children have to witness the death of their parents. Children are a common and the primary target for the RUF and many other military groups because they figure that young children have nothing to lose. These children are confronted with some of the profound abuses in wars at the hands of the RUF. The majority of these abducted children are placed on the front line with some of them being as young as 12 years-old. Of these kidnapped children many are males. They serve the purpose of carrying loads of goods and also toting heavy military equipment. Young girls have also been kidnapped for routine rape purposes committed by members of the RUF. |
Somalia
Somalia, located in the horn of Africa, is a country populated with many child soldiers, some as young as ten years old. The recruitment of children in Somalia is led by several different groups. Most of the children are recruited to fight for the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, but others are recruited by The Somali National Army and various clan militias. “The United Nations documented 164 incidents of sexual violence affecting 174 children” by several groups in Somalia and “eighteen cases of forced marriage by parties to conflict were also documented.” The main method of recruitment by these Somali groups is abduction. The majority are abducted from their homes or schools, “in some cases taking entire classes” to be trained as soldiers. Jama, a fifteen year old Somali boy, reports that he was coerced to fight with the promise of an education, but instead was forced to become a child soldier to fight with Al-Shabaab. Both boys and girls are abducted; some are victims of abuse and sexual violence; whereas, others are “serving as human shields on the battlefields.” In 2012, the Somali government responded by forming a child protection unit and in October 2015, Somalia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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Uganda |
Uganda is a country with a population of 37.58 million people, located in East Africa. The country is landlocked by surrounding countries, such as Kenya, Sudan, and Rwanda. Since the 1980s, Uganda has been torn apart by rebel groups, specifically the Lord’s Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony. Before the group was called the Lord’s Resistance Army, it went by the name of the Holy Spirit Movement, led by Alice Lakwena. Lakwena formed a group to overthrow the Ugandan government because she claimed that the Holy Spirit told her to do so. When she was exiled by the government, a man named Joseph Kony took over the movement and gave it its new name. Kony lost popularity soon after taking over, leading him to begin his rampage over Uganda.
Kony’s power throughout the conflict has strongly affected children. Kony is a large recruiter of children for military purposes. The UN reports that, “minors make up almost 90% of the LRA’s soldiers,” with some as young as eight years old. His means of recruitment are mostly limited to abduction and coercion through village raids. “Since the rebellion began in the 1980s, some 30,000 children have been abducted to work as child soldiers and porters, or to serve as “wives” of rebels and bear their children.” Those abducted are forced to work as porters, sex slaves, or fighters in combat. “Captives are often forced to kill or rape family members, making it impossible for them to think about returning home,” not that escape is a real option. Children caught trying to escape are immediately killed; often, by their fellow comrades.
Kony’s power throughout the conflict has strongly affected children. Kony is a large recruiter of children for military purposes. The UN reports that, “minors make up almost 90% of the LRA’s soldiers,” with some as young as eight years old. His means of recruitment are mostly limited to abduction and coercion through village raids. “Since the rebellion began in the 1980s, some 30,000 children have been abducted to work as child soldiers and porters, or to serve as “wives” of rebels and bear their children.” Those abducted are forced to work as porters, sex slaves, or fighters in combat. “Captives are often forced to kill or rape family members, making it impossible for them to think about returning home,” not that escape is a real option. Children caught trying to escape are immediately killed; often, by their fellow comrades.
Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are known as “Kadogos,” which means little ones. There are a number of intercommunal clashes plaguing the country. The United Nations verified 2,549 violations against children. Nearly forty percent were attributed to FDLR, the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda. FDLR is a rebel group in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo in conflict with the armed forces of the country. The UN recorded the recruitment of 488 children which had 26 girls of whom 30 percent were under the age of 15. This is more than twice the number of documented cases in 2014. Of the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, 89 percent occurred in North Kivu, and almost half of the children were recruited by FDLR (219), followed by Raia Mutomboki (89), Nyatura (69) and other groups (111). Most of the events occur in North Kivu and Ituri. ADF, FRPI and FDLR were the main perpetrators among armed groups. There are 254 child victims of sexual violence. Schools are bombed in order to create chaos that makes it easier for these groups to abduct children. 195 reports of abduction were received, but the actual number is predicted to be much larger. Most of the time, girls are raped after they are abducted. Many children are trying to run away in order to escape the armed groups and lead a normal life. Escape is difficult and children get stuck in a vicious cycle as they don’t know how to function in the real world (if they run and don’t get proper guidance) and are always at a risk of getting caught.
ISIS, Iraq, & Syria
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or what is commonly referred to as ISIS was founded in 1999 but the ISIS known today started in 2003 after the invasion of Iraq by the U.S. military. ISIS is a present day terrorist group whose goal is to create a unified Muslim state to live out extreme religious beliefs. "ISIS has rapidly expanded its control over Iraq and Syria by seizing towns and cities near major supply routes, critical infrastructure and border crossing" ("How ISIS Works"). The group receives a lot of their money from the oil revenue, making them the richest terrorist organization in existence. With this money they host meetings in small cities and towns and bribe young children to join forces with them.
The clan is mainly comprised of Muslim men but they are also made up of some members under the age of 18, forcing them to be child soldiers. These young children are trained at camps for 'Cubs of the Islamic State.' Here they are taught how to shoot guns and handle deadly artillery. They are also put through rigorous physical training to get children tough enough for combat. In Afghanistan, some children are taught how to make bombs and how to kill people all while in school. In schools there are teachers that prepare students for suicide attacks. There are some instances where they have parental consent. It’s merely the act of brainwashing the children to get them to follow any orders. The children ask no questions, and do what they are told.
The clan is mainly comprised of Muslim men but they are also made up of some members under the age of 18, forcing them to be child soldiers. These young children are trained at camps for 'Cubs of the Islamic State.' Here they are taught how to shoot guns and handle deadly artillery. They are also put through rigorous physical training to get children tough enough for combat. In Afghanistan, some children are taught how to make bombs and how to kill people all while in school. In schools there are teachers that prepare students for suicide attacks. There are some instances where they have parental consent. It’s merely the act of brainwashing the children to get them to follow any orders. The children ask no questions, and do what they are told.
Sources
@amisomsomalia. "Al Shabaab Using Child Soldiers In Desperate Effort To Control Somalia - AMISOM." AMISOM. 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://amisom-au.org/2016/03/al-shabaab-using-child-soldiers-in-desperate-effort-to-control-somalia/.
"Child Soldiers Around the World." Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed October 14, 2016. http://www.cfr.org/human-rights/child-soldiers-around-world/p9331#p2.
"Child Soldiers International | India." Child Soldiers International | Home. Accessed October 14, 2016. https://www.child-soldiers.org/india.
"Children in Conflict: Child Soldiers." Child Soldiers - Children in Conflict. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2016. <http://www.child-soldier.org/>.
"OHCHR Home Page." Home. Accessed November 18, 2016. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/Home.aspx.
"Somalia | United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict." UN News Center. 2016. Accessed November 10, 2016. https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/countries-caac/somalia/
Tancos, Kathryn. "More Child Soldiers in Somalia Fighting." CNN. February 21, 2012. Accessed November 13, 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/21/world/africa/somalia-child-soldiers/index.html.
"The Lord's Resistance Army." (LRA). Accessed November 11, 2016. http://www.warchild.org.uk/Issues/The-Lords-Resistance-Army.
"Uganda: Child Soldiers at Centre of Mounting Humanitarian Crisis." 10 Stories the World Should Hear More about. Accessed November 9, 2016. http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/06/story.asp?storyID=100.
"War Child." Home | War Child. 2016. Accessed November 28, 2016. https://www.warchild.org.uk/.
@amisomsomalia. "Al Shabaab Using Child Soldiers In Desperate Effort To Control Somalia - AMISOM." AMISOM. 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://amisom-au.org/2016/03/al-shabaab-using-child-soldiers-in-desperate-effort-to-control-somalia/.
"Child Soldiers Around the World." Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed October 14, 2016. http://www.cfr.org/human-rights/child-soldiers-around-world/p9331#p2.
"Child Soldiers International | India." Child Soldiers International | Home. Accessed October 14, 2016. https://www.child-soldiers.org/india.
"Children in Conflict: Child Soldiers." Child Soldiers - Children in Conflict. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2016. <http://www.child-soldier.org/>.
"OHCHR Home Page." Home. Accessed November 18, 2016. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/Home.aspx.
"Somalia | United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict." UN News Center. 2016. Accessed November 10, 2016. https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/countries-caac/somalia/
Tancos, Kathryn. "More Child Soldiers in Somalia Fighting." CNN. February 21, 2012. Accessed November 13, 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/21/world/africa/somalia-child-soldiers/index.html.
"The Lord's Resistance Army." (LRA). Accessed November 11, 2016. http://www.warchild.org.uk/Issues/The-Lords-Resistance-Army.
"Uganda: Child Soldiers at Centre of Mounting Humanitarian Crisis." 10 Stories the World Should Hear More about. Accessed November 9, 2016. http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/06/story.asp?storyID=100.
"War Child." Home | War Child. 2016. Accessed November 28, 2016. https://www.warchild.org.uk/.