Join the Independent's campaign to help child soldiers in the Central African Republic, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. In many conflict-affected areas, children make up the majority of the population. As such, children who fail to go through the initiation process are usually killed so as to instil fear on the other recruits. Facts and Statistics: The number of child under the age of eighteen who have been coerced or induced to take up child soldiers is at least three hundred thousand. Girls are often forced into sexual slavery. In 2019 alone, more than 7,740 children, some as young as six, were recruited and used as soldiers around the world, according to the United Nations. Tens of thousands of children are estimated to be recruited and used by armed groups. The youngest child soldier in the British army was Sidney Lewis, just 12 years old when he joined the army. Armed forces can manipulate children easily, they do not eat very much food, and they do not have to be paid. The boys ranging from 16 to 18 years of age were taken as prisoners of war during clashes in the northern parts of the country in 2019. … Child Soldiers Today, there are between 250,000 and 300,000 children fighting in the world. In fact, there were thousands of underage boys trying to get in the army and fight at the wrong. However an unknown number of child soldiers and former child soldiers have remained with an armed group. Tens of thousands of children are estimated to be recruited and used by armed groups. They are often used as sex slaves, being taken as ‘wives’ by male combatants. Learn the facts about child soldiers. Although wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have dominated Western media in recent years, some developing countries have been engaged in bloody battles for decades. Sometimes, as part of their recruitment, child soldiers are forced to kill family members or neighbors to desensitize them and make it so the children cannot go back to their homes and communities. The support these centers provide is crucial to healing former child soldiers and reintegrating them into their communities. And he wasn’t the only one. In 2019 alone, more than 7,740 children, some as … The use of child soldiers is a problem across the world. Facts About Child Soldiers Asia. Here’s other facts and statistics you need to know about child soldiers: 1. JUBA, 26 FEBRUARY 2020 – Today, 15 children associated with armed forces and armed groups were released in South Sudan, UNICEF said. 10 to 30 percent of kid soldiers are girls. Children have been involved in various military campaigns throughout the history. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? • Tackling the problem is hard: most of the groups who use child soldiers are so called ‘non-state actors’, anti government rebels and militias who are difficult to negotiate with. Girl soldiers are often used as “wives” and are sexually abused. He managed to join by lying about his age. Here are ten facts about child soldiers that everyone should know. In 2019 alone, more than 7,740 children… Some child soldiers were as young as six years old. o Child soldiers are under the age of 18. o Children are used as soldiers because they are easily marlipulated and are too young to understand their actions. Many areas affected by conflict have no functioning government, adding to the challenges of reintegration. This was as a result of a general decline in the number of individuals willing to join the LRA mainly due to the atrocities committed by the rebel group on the civilian population. Unicef has played a key part in this process across the globe. According to an eye-witness account, recruits who would fail to hack their parents or relatives to death would be hit by a club at the back of th… Here are 10 facts about child soldiers: 1. Top 10 facts about Iraqi child soldiers. The problem of boys and girls—some as young as nine—being forced into armed groups is not going to disappear tomorrow, but as little as 25 pounds can provide a child with everything they need to begin the process of recovery. Here are 10 facts about child soldiers: 1. Ten facts about child soldiers that everyone should know, Get up to £200 back in travel credit using this Booking.com discount, Use this Debenhams discount and save up to 70% on men's lines - Spring offer, Up to 30% discount with garden offers at Ideal World, Up to 70% AliExpress discount on super value deals this week, Argos discount code: Save £20 on this Canon photo printer. If child soldiers are released, they often lack basic survival skills because they were supplied food and shelter in battle. The LRA use fear as a tool when recruiting children. In December 2017, the Iraqi government officially retook territories that had been occupied by the Islamic State (IS) since 2014. According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and international human rights law, no child under 18 may be recruited into armed forces (government military) or armed rebel groups (militias and gangs). Facts about Child Soldiers o Child Soldiers are being used in over 36 countries worldwide. Soldiers take advantage of this and use children as pawns in their dangerous battles. 1) There is an estimated 300,000 children that are involved in armed conflict (Kaplan, 2005) 2) It is thought that 30% of the soldiers are girls (Kaplan, 2005) 3) People think that child soldiers are used in at least 14 countries ("Child soldiers," 2013) When child soldiers are released, many are shunned and given little if any support to reintegrate into their communities. It does not refer only to a child … Here are 10 facts about child soldiers: 1. This makes it difficult for them to survive if and when they become free. What is the definition of a child soldier? In order to help these children return to a normal life, UNICEF has established rehabilitation centers in current and former conflict areas. Data from Child Soldiers International suggests that some states, such as Myanmar, the Philippines, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, have a long history of using child soldiers in armed conflicts. Children who are poor or have little access to education have a higher chance of being. The Myanmar army has recruited child soldiers consistently for more than 20 years, and some estimate the number to be as high as 70,000 under the age of 18. Tens of thousands of children are estimated to be recruited and used by armed groups. Thousands of children are serving as soldiers in armed conflicts around the world. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Recruitment of child soldiers in the LRA started off in early 1994. Girls and boys as young as 8 to the age of 18 are being affected; In 2015, the United States had listed that Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen government or the other side were using child soldiers Here are ten facts about child soldiers that everyone should know. Children are also sometimes recruited for suicide missions. Facts About Child Soldiers. Children are mainly recruited to the military because they are easily manipulated. Dec 8, 2016 - Child Soldiers Facts• 300,000 child soldiers are fighting around the world and every year the number grows as more children are recruited for use in active c… They do not eat much food, do not get paid, and do not have … Tens of thousands of children are estimated to be recruited and used by armed groups. There are thought to be no currently active child soldiers in the country. Estimates range from tens of thousands to over 120,000 child soldiers in the entire continent, ranging in ages from 7 to 17. 10 Fast Facts about Child Soldiers. These boys and girls, some as young as 8 years old, serve in government forces and armed opposition groups. 10 Fast Facts about Child Soldiers Girls and boys as young as 8 to the age of 18 are being affected In 2015, the United States had listed that Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen government or the other side were using child soldiers Facts about Child Soldiers 1: the history of child soldiers. Page 9. Though child soldiers are often associated with African conflicts, they have been used throughout history in armies all over the world. Some children choose to enter the military to escape poverty or because they believe they will be offered safety and security by doing so. Tens of thousands of children are estimated to be recruited and used by armed groups. Child soldiers, boys and girls as young as 8 years old, are being recruited and used not only for fighting, but for sexual exploitation and more in conflicts raging across the globe. • There are an estimated 300,000 child soldiers in at least twenty countries in the world today. It is really shameful and an alarming situation in today’s modern world where children are being used to fight wars. During the first and second civil conflicts which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), all sides involved in the war actively recruited or conscripted child soldiers, known locally as Kadogos which is a Swahili term meaning "little ones". o Today, there are approximately 300,000 child soldiers fighting in armed conflict. The many child soldiers. Save The Children UK 2005. 2. Child soldiers are known to be fighting in at least 14 countries, including Afghanistan, India, Iraq and Thailand. While there is True facts about child soldiers: there are several reasons to turn kids into child soldiers. This list was compiled by CLC Contributing Writer Deborah Andrews. Child Soldiers, From Violence to Protection, Michael Wessells, Harvard Press. Child Soldiers: Facts & Statistics. Girls are often used as “wives” (sexual slaves) for male soldiers; it is estimated that 30% of child soldiers are females. – The Huffington Post, https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg, Improving Women’s Empowerment in Mozambique, The Struggle for Women’s Empowerment in Gabon. 15 child soldiers released in South Sudan 26 February 2020. Both girls and boys are used as child soldiers. Child soldiers are children (individuals under the age of 18) who are used for military purposes. Fact 1 Lack Of Humanity. Child soldiers are any individuals under the age of 18 who are recruited by government or opposition armed forces to participate in conflict. • There is a simple reason armed groups use child soldiers: children are easier to manipulate. Child Soldiers in Uganda – Facts Majority of child soldiers are abducted. They don’t each as much food, don’t get paid and don’t have a highly developed sense of danger, making it all too easy to send them into the line of fire. Most are recruited by non-state groups. This is because they are very young to understand or resist any command. The many child soldiers. And he wasn’t the only one. Their recruitment begins from the age of 10. Page 65. • In spite of this, since 1998, over 100,000 child soldiers have been released from armed groups and reintegrated into their communities. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. In fact, there were thousands of underage boys trying to get in the army and fight at the wrong. Child soldiers are used in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Oceania. • February 12 is Red Hand Day, a day of commemoration and campaigning across the world to draw attention to the plight of child soldiers. They create imitation weapons out of pieces of wood and plastic. These are only a few of the most disturbing facts about child soldiers. Child soldiers are used as instruments in war machines that execute even parents and friends. Child soldiers are any children under the age of 18 who are recruited by a state or non-state armed group and used as fighters, cooks, suicide bombers, human shields, messengers, spies, or for sexual purposes. Last but not least, on the top 10 facts about Iraqi child soldiers, is that since regaining the IS-occupied territory, the Iraqi government’s inadequate procedures for identifying human trafficking victims and referring them to social services keep former child soldiers from receiving the help they need. Why do people use child soldiers? They are used for fighting and are especially vulnerable to … Gender is a non factor in recruiting child soldiers. “Children, my dear brother, … As well as being forced to fight, children are used as spies, couriers, cooks and cleaners. Children can become involved in armed conflicts in direct combat roles, but also in supporting roles – being forced or coerced to become cooks, cleaners, porters, intelligence gatherers and spies, wives, sex slaves, or used in acts of terror. “The Borgen Project is an incredible nonprofit organization that is addressing poverty and hunger and working towards ending them.” • Some 40% of child soldiers are girls. In some countries, like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Uganda, … 2. 10 Child Soldier Facts Forty percent of the world’s armed forces use child soldiers. Human Rights Watch has reported girl soldiers being impregnated by their commanders and having to fight with their child strapped to their backs. All the money we raise will go to helping Unicef negotiate the release of children from armed groups and to reintegrating them into their local communities. Children from all around the world are ripped from their youth and thrown into a merciless world of battle. Here are 10 facts about child soldiers: 1. However, in recent years, increasing numbers of children have been forced into combat in other countries, including Uganda, the Ivory Coast and Libya. Children often become involved in these conflicts as soldiers and even human shields. True facts about child soldiers: there are several reasons to turn kids into child soldiers. Although improvements have been made to end the use of child soldiers, it is believed that close to 300,000 child soldiers are still being recruited and forced into war across the world today. Both girls and boys are used as child soldiers. Myanmar recruitment officers destroy the age documentation provided by underage children, and recruit them under the threat of intimidation or imprisonment. This practice must be stopped anyhow to safeguard the lives of children. Child soldiers are preferred mostly • There are also plenty of new recruits. This work combined with international pressure to end the practice can make these facts about child soldiers part of the past instead of the present. If there is a lack of. During the role-play, some of the children act out the part of the militiamen. Child Soldiers, From Violence to Protection, Michael Wessells, Harvard Press. There were 250,000 boys with the age less than 18 years old enrolled in the army in Great Britain during World War I. Girls and boys can be used as child soldiers and … He managed to join by lying about his age. • There are an estimated 300,000 child soldiers in at least twenty countries in the world today. It has been estimated that the militia led by Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was 30 percent children. There is a constant supply for armed groups, who often send children in the first wave of an attack so as to draw the enemy’s fire. • The problem of child soldiers is most severe in Africa. They may fight in the front lines, or participate in wars by acting as lookouts, spies, cooks, or messengers. Here are 10 facts about child soldiers: 1. The youngest child soldier in the British army was Sidney Lewis, just 12 years old when he joined the army. Tens of thousands of children are estimated to be recruited and used by armed groups. Asia. • Between 2008 and 2009, Unicef helped to reintegrate more than 24,000 former child soldiers, showing what can be achieved. the facts Children are most likely to become child soldiers if they are poor, have been separated from their families, living in a combat zone or have no access to education. Child soldiers can act as cooks, messengers, informants, soldiers, suicide bombers or even sex slaves. Here are 10 facts about child soldiers: 1. Right now, children are fighting across the continent: in Chad, the Central African Republic, Sudan and South Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Myanmar army has recruited child soldiers consistently for more than 20 years, and some … This Christmas the Independent, working with Unicef, is campaigning to raise money on behalf of child soldiers in the Central African Republic. This isn’t just a grave violation of children’s fundamental human rights – it represents the tragic end of childhood. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The official term is “a child associated with an armed force or armed group.” It refers to any boy or girl under age 18 who is recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity. Please give as much as you can. July 13, 2015, cherran, Leave a comment. In 2019 alone, more than 7,740 children, some as young as six, were recruited and used as soldiers around the world, according to the United Nations. Child soldiers are children under the age of 18, some even as young as seven years of age, who are used for any purpose in a military or armed group. Roméo Dallaire, who encountered child soldiers in the Rwandan genocide, states that One tragic aspect of the conflict was the use of child soldiers, which is rightfully considered a … The report is based on interviews with 101 child soldiers who were either forcibly recruited or joined forces to protect themselves and their communities. 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