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CHILD SOLDIERS AROUND THE WORLD

CHILD SOLDIERS AROUND THE WORLD. WHAT IS A CHILD SOLDIER?. “Any child—boy or girl—under eighteen years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity.” The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF)

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CHILD SOLDIERS AROUND THE WORLD

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  1. CHILD SOLDIERS AROUND THE WORLD

  2. WHAT IS A CHILD SOLDIER? • “Any child—boy or girl—under eighteen years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity.” The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) • Nearly 80% of conflicts involving child soldiers have soldiers: - Below the age of fifteen - Some as young as seven or eight

  3. HOW WIDESPREAD IS THE USE OF CHILD SOLDIERS? • Approximately 300,000 children are believed to be combatants in some thirty conflicts worldwide. • Burundi, DRC, Somalia, Liberia, Uganda, Chad, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, Colombia

  4. ARE CHILD SOLDIERS EFFECTIVE? • Trusting • Vulnerable • Intimidated • Daring • Naïve

  5. WHAT HAS LED TO THE RISE OF CHILD SOLDIERS? • Social structures around them are deteriorating (AIDS epidemic = 40 million orphans) • Best option for survival • Revenge after families have been abused or murdered • Weapons = lighter, easier to use • Effective, cheap, expendable fighters • Demoralize professional fighters

  6. ARE GIRLS USED AS SOLDIERS? • 30 % of armed groups using children include girls. • Sexual abuse • Mistresses by army leaders

  7. WHAT BECOMES OF CHILD SOLDIERS WHEN THEY LEAVE THEIR ARMIES? • If they survive… • Severe mental health problems • Lack money • Lack survival skills • Leads to more conflict

  8. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO LIMIT THE USE OF CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS? • Political solutions to end conflicts • Governments have responded to both advocacy and the threat of sanctions • International Criminal Court (ICC): Issuing arrest warrants, prosecution of leaders, no police force to arrest individuals

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