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The United States perspective influences organizations and groups we
want to take action and help end the ongoing problem of child soldiers.
And help former child soldiers return to their normal lives The U.S and
U.N have made laws and amendments to help prevent child soldiers.
Using children as soldiers is ascrious problem in places like Sri Lanka,
Uganda, Sudan and Chad. Children make good soldiers because they are
less likely to ask questions, and oppose order'.,,. Their lives are more
disposabic than adults because they are not productive members of
society.
Another organization that is trying to help stop forced recruitment of
children to become soldiers is Invisible children. It was started when
three young men took a trip to Uganda they saw- the suffering and what
was going on there. They came back to America and created a movie
called "Invisible Children." After making the film, they started an
organization named after the film to
help end child soldiers.
There is another group trying to help called UNICEF, an organization
created to protect children worldwide. UNICEF has been one of the
(j) major supporters, in the child soldier crisis. Jane Ekayu a therapist for
III UNICEF who has helped child soldiers in Africa recover say-s" the
children come back highly traumatized". Right now two of the biggest
problems these organizations have is running low, on supplies and
rr delivering supplies to the area due to the possibility of a rebel attack.
LU With better supplies the former child soldiers can recover faster and
return to their normal lives.There are also organizations helping child
soldiers through volunteering and donating such as child soldier relief,
0 Somali child soldier relief and child soldiers initiative.
U)
n Right now the U.S. has Joined the SPLA when I was 13. / am from
four allied counties that
use child soldiers and has Ban' Al Ghazal - They demobilized me in 2001
C) placed sanctions on each and took me to RuMbek, but f was erg` yen no
one. A sanction is when a demobilization documents, Now, 1 am stuck
country stops trade with here because my family was killed in a
another for disobeying government attack and because the SPLA
international laws such as wouidre-recru;t me. At times I wonder why I am
the international not going back to SPLA, half of n7y friends have
humanitarian law and the and they seem to be better off than me." (Boy
international human
fights law. These laws rnteniawed by Coalition staff, southern Sudan.
have been disobeyed by February 2004.)
countries like Chad
,which is one of the four countries that the U.S. has put a sanction on for
the use of child soldiers.
When the U.S. found out about child soldiers, amendments were made
such as the Child Soldier Prevention Act and the Child Soldier
Accountability Act, These were created to keep the U.S. from ever using
child soldiers.
Over all the United States perspective influences advancements and
changes through organizations and laws to help prevent child soldiers.
And protect former child soldiers.
t t t
TIMES
Perspectives influence individuals and groups to take action.
Key concepts
-causation
-function
-chang-c
Uncs of inquirN
1-he impact child soldiers have on societies
Organizations trying to help
Fhe impact on child soldiers Into
Four die, as child soldier attacks
increase
By Andrew Cowan
Two Saturdays ago, a 12 year old suicide bomber killed 4 civilians, This boy was a child soldier. According to
Unicef, a child soldier is a boy or girl under 19 years of age. who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force
in any capacity., including, but not limited to: cooks, guards, lookouts, porters, messengers and anyone accompanying
such groups other than family members. It includes boys or girls recruited for sexual purposes and or forced marriage
Allover the world, children are being recruited into armed forces. The cause? Children
are expendable to armies using them and more can be recruited with little effort. There are over 300,000 active child
soldiers engaged in present day conflicts Many governments and countries condemn the use of child soldiers and
consider it a war crime. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 38, (1989) proclaimed:
"State parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons who have not attained the age of 15 years do not
take a direct part in hostilities" Although many people are opposed to using child soldiers, there are about fifteen
countries who still use child soldiers
The effects of using child soldiers are numerous. The effects weigh heavily on child
soldiers and are usually mental disorders such as post traumatic stress and depression. Child soldiers in active combat
are given no access to education. Even when child soldiers are disarmed or have escaped, family members and
neighbors may not accept them back. It is very common for armies using child soldiers to force the children to kill
family or friends and beat them for minor offenses. Child soldiers live with their experiences for the rest of their life
and it is hard for them to readapt to a normal life Some disarmed child soldiers even consider reenlistment because
they have nothing to do.
Many organizations trying to help child soldiers have been established. These groups
function by providing shelter and hospitals for former child soldiers and creating awareness of the use of child
soldiers. These organizations have given hope to former child soldiers for a new life, Some of these organizations are
Unicef, Invisible children, project ak-47, Ana's playground, and The Coalition to stop the use of Child Soldiers.
Armies usually use child soldiers because children are more easily manipulated than adults
and in case of a shortage of adult recruits, children could be used to fill their place. Modem day weapons can also be
used by children. Children may volunteer themselves, most of the time because the children have little or no access to
education or they believe that the military will give them security. The armies using child soldiers function by giving
children jobs such as suicide bombers, spies, porters, cooks, guards, lookouts, and "wives" for commanders.
Child soldiers are still being used in many countries all over the world. Perspectives from
organizations opposed to the continued use of child soldiers have a positive influence on all kinds of people around the
world.