Child Soldiers

1. Child Soldiers Paul Kukulka December 12, 2013 Dr. Mahay Globalization

2. Why Use Children in War? • Proliferation of small arms making weapons more available and easy for kids to use. • Over 50% of many country’s populations are children under the age of 15. • They are cheap, available, and obey orders. • Human Rights laws are not being enforced so forces using children are not being punished. (Dallaire 2010)

3. How are Children Recruited? • Deprivation: • Violence: • Sociocultural Factors: • Pull Factors: • Society’s Complicity:

4. Deprivation: • Many families without income, jobs, or food will encourage their children to join the army because then at least they will be fed. • Violence: • With violence and discrimination, the youths in these areas suffer from fear, frustration, hopelessness, and general discontent which makes them feel the need to join the army as a way of making things right. (Somasundaram 2002)

5. Sociocultural Factors: • People and children who are considered to be lower class are being suppressed by the higher class and therefore join the army as a way out. • Pull Factors: • Older males are becoming less likely to join the army so the army feels that it needs to “Pull” children into joining. • Society’s Complicity: • Society is not protesting the use of child soldiers and leaders are not outlawing the use of them either which allows armies to have much freedom. (Somasundaram 2002)

6. Why Child Soldiers is a Problem. • The use of children in armed conflict is considered the worst form of child labor and which also violates human rights laws and is a war crime in most countries. • The boys and girls who are associated with the war face many dangers which could lead to death or severe psychological issues. (International Labor Organization 2013)

7. How to Prevent The Use of Child Soldiers • Raise awareness of child rights through media. • Monitor and document child rights abuses. • Local and international human rights reporting mechanisms. • Analyze which children are most vulnerable. • Promote compliance with international laws. • Form re-integration programs to prevent children who were pulled out of war from being re-recruited. (Verhey 2001: 3-4)

8. Problems Children Face as a Result of War • The main problem children face after they get out of the was is PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and depression. • For the child soldiers who had injured or killed others in battle, these kids demonstrated increases in externalizing problems. • For those children who spent more time with armed forces, who were raped, and who were being subjected to a stigma had higher levels of internalizing problems. (Betancourt 2011) • Other problems associated with being in the war are that children are extremely violent towards those who they do not know, they hated taking orders from civilians, and they were suffering withdrawals from drug abuse during the time when they were fighting. (Beah 2007: 138)

9. References: • Beah, Ishmeal. 2007. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Sarah Crichton Books. • Dalliare Interview Video • Verhey, Beth. 2001. Child Soldiers: Preventing, Demobilizing and Reintegrating. Africa Region Working Paper Series. • Betancourt, Theresa S., Brennan, Dr. Robert T. 2010. Sierra Leone's former child soldiers: a longitudinal study of risk, protective factors, and mental health. Massachusetts: Harvard School of Public Health. • Somasundaram, Daya. 2002. Child Soldiers: Understanding the Context. Sri Lanka, University of Jaffna. • International Labor Organization. Child Labor and Armed Conflicts. Found on the internet at http://www.ilo.org/ipec/areas/Armedconflict/lang--en/index.htm