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Mexican Drug Cartel Sicarios. By Oscar Sandoval. Child Solider. UNICEF defines a “child soldier” as any child either boy or girl under 18 years of age. Part of a armed force or irregular armed force. They provided services as cooks, messengers, janitors, soldiers.
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Mexican Drug Cartel Sicarios By Oscar Sandoval
Child Solider • UNICEF defines a “child soldier” as any child either boy or girl under 18 years of age. • Part of a armed force or irregular armed force. • They provided services as cooks, messengers, janitors, soldiers. • It includes boys/girls recruited into forced sexual purposes or forced marriages. (http://www.unicef.org/emerg/files/childsoldiers.pdf)
Key Factors • Estimated 300,000 children boys and girls under 18 are in 30 conflicts worldwide. • Some are abducted or forcibly recruited • Others are driven to join by poverty • Abuse and discriminated • Some seek revenge for violence enacted against them or their families. • Girls are abducted during war to serve as sexual slaves (http://www.unicef.org/emerg/files/childsoldiers.pdf)
What is a Drug Cartel? • Criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. • 4 positions in the drug cartel. • Falcons (Halcones) • Hit men (Sicarios) • Lieutenants (Lugartenientes) • Drug lords (Capos) (June Biettel 2011: 1-10)
Child Recruitment • Recruitment has expanded because drug cartels need more men to protect and extend their multibillion dollar business • New recruitment techniques utilized by cartels • Internet • Newspapers • Banners • Community events. • (Brenda Fiegel 2009:1-6)
Children Sicarios • The kids get Uzis, AR-15s, 38s and 9mm, and they are killing people • A kid working for the cartels can make between 5,000 and 6,000 pesos • Young sicarioscan replace those who are killed or arrested. • Young sicarios will throw them into suicidal attacks on security forces • Smuggle drugs and dealing. (International Crisis Group 2013:13-16).
Why does it matter? • Rising numbers of children have no school or job. • A million young people are considered at risk and easy prey for cartels. • Cartels are increasingly recruiting youth because they pay minors less. • Kids enter into business with the cartels through drug use. • The number of addicts in Mexico has doubled in 2012 • A quarter of Mexico's 114 million population is under 18. "Mexico’s Youth Slips into Drug Violence." PBS. PBS, 16 Aug. 2011
What can be done? • Investigate crimes against minors. • Create a juvenile court • Media attention • Rehabilitation • Political Pressure • Create Policies • Programs for children • Education • Jobs
Works Cited • Unicef. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/emerg/files/childsoldiers.pdf • "Mexico’s Youth Slips into Drug Violence." PBS. PBS, 16 Aug. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. • Fiegel, Brenda. 2009. "The Recruitment of Assassins by Mexican Drug Cartels.". Pg: 1-6 • www.blogdelnarco.com/ • International Crisis Group.2013. "Peña Nieto's Challenge: Criminal Cartels and Rule of Law in Mexico.“ pg:1-57 • Beittel, June. S. 2011. “Mexico’s drug trafficking organizations: Source and scope of the rising violence”. DIANE Publishing pg: 1-50