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Bolivian Child Soldiers

Bolivian Child Soldiers . “Bolivia Country”. By Hannah, Ava, Mary and Ellis Partner: Michael Zaluzny. An Intro to Bolivian Child Soldiers. By Ava Gallagher. INTRODUCTION.

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Bolivian Child Soldiers

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  1. Bolivian Child Soldiers “Bolivia Country” By Hannah, Ava, Mary and Ellis Partner: Michael Zaluzny

  2. An Intro to Bolivian Child Soldiers By Ava Gallagher

  3. INTRODUCTION According to the Bolivian Constitution, all Bolivians have an obligation to join the military. The minimum age for military service is 18 years old, and the required period to serve is one year. However, children under the age of 18 have been turned into soldiers against their will, and continue to die as child soldiers. A child soldier is a form of human trafficking and slavery, and even though organizations (such as the NGO Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers) are fighting to save these child soldiers, they continue to be illegally forced into the military. Bolivian Children

  4. BACKGROUND Bolivian Soldiers The legal age to serve the military in Bolivia is 18 Everyone is required to serve in the military for at least one year Although military recruitment is illegal under the age of 18, children make up almost half of the armed forces

  5. THE 40% • Although the legal age is 18, soldiers under the age of 18 constitute 40% of the armed forces • Half of this 40% that are under 18 are also under 16, meaning 20% of the armed forces in Bolivia are under 16 • Poor children are a more popular target for recruitment to become a child soldier • Recruiters looking for child soldiers: • Break into homes of children and families • Take over schools

  6. CURRENT GOVERNMENT ROLE Bolivian Capital • Bolivian government is majorly responsible for the illegal placement of children in the military • Although it is their rule that one must be eighteen to join, they support and encourage child soldiers • Any possible help from government is unlikely • Help from outside of Bolivia is what is most needed to stop child soldiers

  7. Present Issues By Ellis Evans

  8. Present Problems • There are no laws against children in armed combat • The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child found that children between the ages of 14 and 17 were doing service (in 2004) • Law-enforcement harassed children and subjected them to violence • Children under 18 were drafted/ enrolled illegally in an anti-narcotic operation • Almost half of Bolivia's army is under 18 • 18 is the minimum age for serving in the military but required/ compulsory recruitment does not have an age limit

  9. Recent Wars/ Conflicts in Bolivia • Gas wars (2003) • A very poor country with a bunch of natural resources that gets exploited from by big industries that are foreign • The citizens protested/ built blockades • Caused a shortage of gas and food, ect. Child Soldiers http://images.travelpod.com

  10. Recognizing Using Children as Soldiers is Bad • Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court • Says recruiting children to fight is a crime against humanity • International Labour Organization‘s Convention No. 182 • The worst kind of child labor is children being used for soldiers • The Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Charter) • Outlaws using children as soldiers • Convention on the Rights of the Child • The minimum age children can be used in armed combat is 18 • This is on an international scale, so it should apply to every country, including Bolivia

  11. Why This Needs To Stop • Innocent children witness and experience • Killings • Deaths • Sexual violence • Being obedient (so they can survive) • Sometimes they are forced to kill other children or family members so they are no longer welcome at home • Can be given drugs to make them unafraid to fight • NO CHILD SHOULD HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THIS!

  12. STATISTICS By Mary Merril

  13. Mary Merrill In 2004 the voluntary recruitment age was 15 and amount of government armed forces decreased by 1,000. 2004 Republic of Bolivia Covers the period from April 2001 to March 2004. Population -8.6 million (3.9 million under 18) Government armed forces -31,500 Compulsory recruitment age -18 Voluntary recruitment age -15 (for premilitary service)1 Voting age -18 (married) 21 (single) Optional Protocol -not signed Other treaties ratified (see glossary) -CRC, GC AP I and II, ICC, ILO 138, ILO 182

  14. Mary Merrill In 2001 the compulsory recruitment age was 18, but 40% of soldiers were under 18, with children as young as 14. 2001 Population:– total: 8,142,000– under-18s: 3,763,000 Government armed forces:– active: 32,500– paramilitary: 37,100 Compulsory recruitment age: 18 Voluntary recruitment age: unknown Voting age (government elections): 18 (married), 21 (single) Child soldiers: indicated – 40 per cent of armed forces are under 18; half of these may be under 16 CRC-OP-CAC: not signed Other treaties ratified: CRC; GC/API+II; ILO 138 Almost half of Bolivia's armed forces are under 18, including some children as young as 14. Poor adolescents are targeted for conscription.

  15. Mary Merrill In 2002, approximately 23.9 percent of boys and 22.5 percent of girls ages 7 to 14 were working in Bolivia. The majority of working children in Bolivia were found in the agricultural sector(76.3 percent), followed by services (18.8 percent), manufacturing (4.2 percent), and other sectors (0.7 percent).505 Children work in the production of sugar cane and Brazilian nuts.506 2008 Population: 9.2 million (4.1 million under 18) Government Armed Forces: 46,100 Compulsory Recruitment Age: 19 Voluntary Recruitment Age: 15 (for pre-military service) Voting Age: 18 Optional Protocol: acceded 22 December 2004

  16. Mary Merrill Change from 2001-2008 Population increase-1,058,000 Under 18 increase-337,000 Government armed forces increase-13,600 Compulsory recruitment age- 1 year older Voluntary recruitment age- same

  17. Solutions to this Issue By Hannah Johnson

  18. What Government has Done “Bolivian President Evo Morales” Government has not taken any action against the use of underage soldiers in the army. Admitted to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that “youngsters between 14 and 17 had been found doing military service.”

  19. Non Government Help “Committee on the Rights of the Child Logo” • Non-government organizations also taught courses on child rights to local police and Joint Task Forces • Committee on the Rights of the Child “criticized the lack of specific procedures for providing special care and assistance to refugee children, particularly those who were unaccompanied or separated, and urged the government to establish a fully functioning and comprehensive refugee status-determination mechanism, with specific procedures for minors.”

  20. Our Opinion The Bolivian Government should be stricter on the age policy of military recruitment Encourage and advertise working in the military to appropriate age groups (18+) Try to keep current soldiers, military men and women in the army for more then necessary one year.

  21. Action Plan: Protecting the Children “Bolivian Children” Government should continue supporting children 15 and under staying in normal schools instead of joining the military As this is a Government led issue, we propose that the law further restricts and establishes the recruitment age for the military Military recruiters could travel to poverty stricken towns neighboring countries such as Paraguay, Argentina and Peru for adult recruits.

  22. Works Cited • OMCT, Rights of the Child in Bolivia • http://www.omct.org/files/2005/09/3074/report_children_bolivia_eng.pdf • “Bolivian Capital” • http://www.godhatestheworld.com/bolivia/images/government.gif • “Bolivian Children” • http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/images/general/Two%20boys%20in%20the%20playground-%20Bolivia.jpg/image_preview • “Bolivian Soldiers” • http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2xBivGeP3CU/TkC25bTL2vI/AAAAAAAAF4U/Hhxni0yqCoM/s640/Bolivian+Soldiers+-+1.jpg • "Child Soldiers - Children and Armed Conflict." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.un.org/children/conflict/english/childsoldiers.html>. • "Bolivia | Child Soldiers Global Report 2008." Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 | Produced by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://www.childsoldiersglobalreport.org/content/bolivia>. • Dangl, Benjamin. "Bolivia's Gas War." Upside Down World. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://upsidedownworld.org/gaswar.htm>. • "International Law - Children and Armed Conflict." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2011.

  23. Works Cited • Bolivia http://www.globalmarch.org/resourcecentre/world/bolivia.pdf "UNHCR | Refworld | Child Soldiers Global Report 2001 - Bolivia." UNHCR Welcome. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,CSCOAL,,BOL,,4988060fc,0.html>. "UNHCR | Refworld | Child Soldiers Global Report 2004 - Bolivia." UNHCR Welcome. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,CSCOAL,,BOL,,4988067228,0.html>. "UNHCR | Refworld | Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 - Bolivia." UNHCR Welcome. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,CSCOAL,,BOL,,486cb0ebc,0.html>. "Young, Armed and Dangerous - Photo Essays - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1808205_1713596,00.html>. Pictures: • “BolivianPresident Evo Morales” www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/ • “Bolivian Children” www.street-children.org.uk • “Committee on the Rights of the Child Logo” insanhaklarimerkezi.bilgi.edu. “Bolivia Country”: http://mashie.glogster.com/bolivia/ Information: • “Bolivia”: www.childsoldiersglobalreport.org • "Bolivia | Child Soldiers Global Report 2008." Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 | Produced by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.childsoldiersglobalreport.org/content/bolivia>. • “ChildSoldiers Global Report 2004 – Bolivia”: www.unhcr.org/refworld • "UNHCR | Refworlhttp://mashie.glogster.com/bolivia/d | Child Soldiers Global Report 2004 - Bolivia." UNHCR Welcome. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,CSCOAL,,BOL,,4988067228,0.

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