Child Soldiers
Transcript: Russian Child Soldier in WW II Closing Thoughts - The existence of Child Soldiers is a horrible and unexcusable use of children by selfish adults. - The children are robbed of their childhood and may become permanently damaged both physically and emotionally because of their experiences. - The world community should unite to stamp out the use of children as soldiers. Child Soldiers by: Richie Parrillo, Jacob Conroy, and Charlie Moss How Are Child Soldiers Treated? What Happens After Child Soldiers Leave? What is a Child Soldier? - A Child Soldier is a person under the age of 18 who has been either manipulated or forced into an army, a guerilla group or warfare. - Child Soldiers have been used throughout history and continue to be used today. They were used in the 1917 Finland Civil War, World War II by the Soviet Union and Germany, and today are used primarily in African countries. - Although there is no precise data, there are an estimated 100,000 Child Soldiers worldwide. Bibliography A current day Child Soldier who is commonly mistreated: underfed, beaten, etc. Facts About Child Soldiers - Child Soldiers can be as young as 8 years old. - Between 2001-2008, there were 21 armed conflicts around the world where Child Soldiers were used. - They are sometimes forced to do very bad acts such as having to harm or murder their family or friends. The commanders force the Child Soldiers to perform such acts to make it more diffcult for the children to return to their communities and therefore more likely to continue as soldiers. - Most Child Soldiers come from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sudan and Uganda. - The children believe that they will receive better food and living conditions. Do you think they actually do? - Most of the children serve as guards, messengers or spies. Also, some Child Soldiers are used as decoys, and some are put in the front lines because they are not as valuable as the adult and more experenced soldiers. Some Child Soldiers are also forced, for example, into a field to check for landmines. - Surprisingly, there are also female children serving as soldiers. They are often raped or sold to the commanders as wives. - Google.com, search term "facts about child soldiers." Facts About Child Soldiers (2nd result) http://www.hrw.org/news/2008/12/03/facts-about-child-soldiers - Google.com, search term "search child soldiers" in Google images - Soldier Relief is an organization that is against Child Soldiers and has many different on-going projects to help these children. Contact info: http://www.childsoldierrelief.org/ - Child Soldiers International is another organization against the use of Child Soldiers. Contact info: http://www.child-soldiers.org/ - Children are more likely to become Child Soldiers if they are poor, separated from their families, living in a combat zone, and/or if they have limited education. - If children join willingly, it is often because they think the army or fighting force they joined will support them, acting as a type of family, and/or provide them with better food and living conditions. Why Would Children Join? Thank You Organizations That Help - If a child is not killed in the warfare, most eventually return to their home towns. - After the experiences as a Child Soldier, they are often emotionally scared from the fighting and seeing such traumatic events as people being blown up, burned, or tortured. Child Soldiers Training