•There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today.
•It is estimated that 40% of all child soldiers are girls. They are often used as 'wives' (i.e. sex slaves) of the male combatants.
•Many rebel groups use child soldiers to fight the government, but some governments also use child soldiers in armed conflict.
•Not all children take part in active combat. Some are also used as porters, cooks and spies.
•As part of their recruitment, children are sometimes forced to kill or maim a family member - thus breaking the bonds with their community and making it difficult for them to return home.
Why are children used as soldiers?
Children are used as soldiers because they are easier to condition and brainwash. They don't eat much food, don't need paying much and have an underdeveloped sense of danger so are easier to send into the line of fire.
As children make up the majority demographic in many conflict-affected countries, there's a constant supply of potential recruits. Due to their size and 'expendability', children are often sent into battle as scouts or decoys, or sent in the first wave to draw the enemy's fire.
What are the effects on children?
The effects on children are felt long after their physical scars have healed and their drug dependencies overcome. Many child soldiers are desensitised to violence - often at a very formative time in their development and this can psychologically damage them for life.
Even when they're set free or escape, many children can't go back home to their families and communities because they've been ostracised from them. They may have been forced to kill a family member or neighbour just so they can never go back. Many girls have babies from their time in the rebel groups and their communities/families don't accept them home.
Most have missed out on school - sometimes for many years. Without an education they have very little future prospects and sometimes return to the rebel groups as they have simply no other way of feeding themselves.
How do child soldiers get recruited?
Some are abducted from their homes and forced to become soldiers
a tactic notoriously used by the Lords Resistance Army.)
A village may be forced to provide a certain number of children as soldiers in exchange for staying safe from attack.
Some children are volunteered by their parents due to extreme poverty and hunger at home.
In some rare cases children volunteer to join the fight because of ideological reasons or to avenge the death of their family.
www.warchild.org.uk
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