Human rights organizations estimate that more than 200,000 child soldiers are fighting in conflicts worldwide. Consider the following in addressing the article that you read in class: First, what might the social and political conditions be like in countries that rely on child soldiers? Second, Why are these children not protected by the adults or the governemnt where they live? And third, why is this problem so rampant in in some African countires?
Link to Global Conflict Zone Map: http://nobelprize.org/educational/peace/conflictmap/conflictmap.html
i think its a bad idea having children being put in the army to serve, and risk their lives, fighting in something they barley understand about.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, Conditions that require soldiers that are children either have a low amount of healthy adults or need as many soldiers as possible (probably both). Secondly, these children are not protected because they are essentially the army itself. Without the use of these children on one side, the other side of the conflict would definatly have an advantage. Thirdly, This problem is so large because there is a lot of war and not a lot of healthy adults. BOOM
ReplyDeleteThe condtions of the social and political conditions are very weak and disorganized in order for them to use children as soilders. Another problem with these countries hat would make them use children as soilders is because they have so many wars the adults do not live very long therefore there are very few adults in these areas. In some of these countries as well there government is crumbing and are being controlled by warlords. With that they have no set regulations since there is close to no government.
ReplyDeleteCountries that need children to be solders are usually third world countries that engulfed in a war directly in their country. The reason these kids are not protected is because the adults are so incapable to govern their own country peacefully that they have the do anything to win approach. Finally this problem is so rampant in Africa because those countries just became their own governing body so they have a lot of instability, causing the need for more troops, leading kids to be invovled
ReplyDeleteI think that the social and political conditions in countries that use child soldiers are weak or not very good. The government is the ones who are bringing children into the army and the adults are so poor that they are selling their children into service for money. It is because of how a government collapse in 1991 made it to where most children there have never been in a classroom or played in a park, and there psyches have been damaged by all the killings they've witnessed.
ReplyDeleteI think that kids should have to be atleast 15 or 16 years old to be part of an army because kids under the age of 13 or 14 are clueless and they are being sent to war. Children are not protected because there parents usually sell them because they cannot afford to live. This is why that it happens so much in Africa because parents will sell their children to get money
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cody because a lot of these countries have been accustomed to war that most of the adults have died from previous wars.
ReplyDeletein countries that use child soldiers usually the living conditions are "sub par", forcing people to look for money anywhere they possibly can find it. the biggest reason that adults don't protect the the children is two main reasons, a lot of adults have already abandoned their children, meaning that they aren't going to defend their child from being in the military/militia if they aren't even going to save their child from the horrible conditions. second, the adults know that they are running out of soldiers to fight for their side and they know that if they're running out of soldiers its time to spread to the younger group that is easily convinced to fight, and very expendable.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Sean, But I believe child soldiers are needed because of the lack of healthy adults. Kids are like are like their greatest resources. Other than gold and diamonds and shiz...
ReplyDeleteThe social conditions will be entirely different from what we are accustomed to. The generation of children will grow up to only know killing and military life. The parents arent there because they cant support their children im sure if they could they wouldnt sell them off to the military. Along with that its so "rampant" in the African countries because of the poverty and scarcity of redily availible resources; Parents cant rais their children so they are almost better off with the military.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eric in that it takes weak social and political conditions for a country to use children as soldiers.
ReplyDeleteThe social and political conditions are mostly likely very poor because there are no policies against this problem neither are there people enforcing it. This will, in turn make social conditions poor because the innocence and potential of many children in that country will be lost which effects that country's future. These children are most likely not protected by their government is because it is corrupt and has very little structure and security. I think this problem is very rampant in African countries because they are involved in so many conflicts that they need any help they can get to protect their country even if it means destroying the future of their country?
ReplyDeleteWell in Somalia the government collapsed in 1991, which caused an entire generation to be forced on the streets. Most children have never been in a classroom.
ReplyDelete"I'll be honest, we were trying to find anyone who could carry a gun" - Somali government official.
The children are not protected by adults because either the adults fled or they sold their own child to the military for money or food.
In African countries the use of children in warfare is so severe because there are few birth certificates, there is no government, famines, parents fled and if there is any government it's corrupt and the cause of the child soldiers. The U.S. is just making the problem more severe by giving aid to Somalia.
multiple people have said it so really i agree with many people, i agree that the parents are also very desperate for money to the point that they are willing to sell their children into the military just to make a few quick bucks, also showinghow poor the living conditions are.
ReplyDeleteI think it is totally messed up manipulating children to go fight and die for any reason at all, even if they are aware of what they are doing and want to fight for their country. I believe they are far to young to be placed in such a position with a whole life along with possible oppurtunity in front of them. The fact that they are being forced however, makes the issue much more intense. It simply angers me to know that things like that are going on in our world and no one is doing anything to stop it all.
ReplyDeleteIn a country that requires and relies upon children to fight as soldiers, the political and social conditions have to be deprived and incredibly poor. Politics must be exceedingly weak in these areas and will look for any type of support, even from that of children. Social conditions also seem to be quite pathetic. For children to become a major support in any war situation is giving to much responsibilty and power to people who can easily misuse it. It appears that this occurs most commonly in African countries mainly due to the fact that they have the loosest interpuritation of their own govvernments.
ReplyDeleteFirst, they rely on child soldiers because they might not have enough adults, also the adults might not be well enough to help out in the war, which leads them to bring young children into the war.
ReplyDeleteThe children arent protected because they dont have parents or their parents left them and the adults are either in the army or dont care enough.
Last thing is because they dont have a ton of healthy adults to have a well army.
In the countries where people are desperate for resources, people find themselves to be in situations where they must fight to survive in a very primitive way, and sometimes have no option but to use their children to either survive, or to help the family as a whole. Other people in these nations use children for more selfish purposes, such as using them as soldiers for their own political causes. Sometimes, people will use children as martyrs for their own causes as well or for terrorism. To try and solve a problem like this, first the adults need to realize that children need to be put aside when political conflicts arise.
ReplyDeleteI think John makes a good point as to why some adults might be forced into these conditions, or why they might do such an atrocious thing in the first place.
I agree with most of the people who have written and a response, and blame it all on the adults od Somalia
ReplyDeleteI believe that this issue of child labor is a major issue throughout the world today. Countries where this is occuring all have the same type of issues going on: corrupt or no leadership, limited economy, unstable food supply, and numerous other problems. All of these add up, and are magnified during a time of conflict. Many African countries are in a civil war or coming out of some type of similar war, and thus they have all of the problems mentioned earlier. Adults are all struggling to overcome these problems, and they dont have time to worry whether they are using kids for soldiers or not. They are going to try and gain the advantage any way that they can, no matter if they use children as soldiers or not.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cody the Rod, especially the point that he makes about needing an advantage. If chilren are going to tip the balance and give one side the power, then they are going to use whatever means they have to in order to do it.
You know how weak a country is when they have to use children in their wars. It just isnt fair for the children of these countries to have to fight an adult war when they could be playing and getting an education. It also isnt fair to use children against their enimies because the enemey should not have to fear a child being able to kill them with a bomb or gun.These children are not protected by the adults because there is no one protecting the parents, and they have no way of protecting the children. This happens in many African countries because the goverenments are very unstable . Because of the massive deaths caused by famine and aids, there is really no one besides children to fight this war.
ReplyDeleteok, the type of conditions that would cause a country to rely on child soldiers is most likely a third-world impoverished country, one that cannot rely on adults to serve in a military. Also, something to take into consideration is that many children soldiers are being used in rebel groups or terrorist organizations, so the government may have no control whatsoever. Politically, in most of these cases the government does not have control over its citizens or militias, so basically anything goes.Countries like Somalia or the Sudan that are poor and war torn, the government cannot possibly intervene and stop all of the rebels from using child soldiers.
ReplyDeleteI dont know if anyone remembers, but in Mrs. Eads's 10th grade honors class, we read the book "A long way gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier" by Ishmael Beah. The book deals with the same situation that we are learning about. The main character Ishmael was taken from his home in the Sierra Leone and taken all over Africa to fight in the rebel group that captured him. The government did not intervene, and he was stuck in his situation for years.
I believe that the problem is very prevalent in Africa because there is so much chaos going on. The government cannot control its citizens, and the violence does not stop, so the cycle repeats itself over and over.
I agree with what sam said, they dont have a well enough government/ the government doesnt have really any structure.
ReplyDeleteVery good Nicole your right on track keep up the good work. I agree. Its as a result of the 1991 government collapse causing the social structure of families to break allowing them to sell their children.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sean "The Ram", kids are involved because the countries need soldiers, most people of age are most likely already involved in the war, fled the country or are dead. I also agree with the idea that the adults are incapable of governing their own country. Manu also makes a really good point in saying that people are selfish in putting the children in the middle of their problems. I think that there needs to be a lot more done to put an end to ending the children as soldiers, I'm sure that the U.N. is doing something about it but it's obviously not enough. We to often sit on the sidelines and complain about what is happening, when we should really be acting on what we feel is right. lalalalalalaaaaaa.
ReplyDeleteI agree with schuler because many of the adults in Africa want an advantage in warfare even if it means using children.
ReplyDeleteCody is right, they are a great way to get numbers for an army.
ReplyDeleteMorally though it is completly wrong
I agree with Dan about the fact that other countries have to fight a country's army which is mostly made up of children. How do you go about trying to defeat an army like that? This is very unfair and I think that this is another reason why countries do it, for the unfair advantage.
ReplyDeletei agree with kim because there arent enough soliders so they use childen
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Manu. Sometimes families in other countries are so poor, that parents sell their young children into service thinking that in a few years they can come back and everything will be ok. However, the type of horrific acts the children witness scars them forever. Children are also sometimes used for selfish purposes like targets or suicide bombers, which is awful. The politics of these types of situations is terrible, something needs to change.
ReplyDeleteSocial, economic and political conditions in these countries must be really bad for them to rely on child soldiers. They must have a lack of resources and available men, of social justice organizations and child protection groups, and are probably in political turmoil. They probably aren't protected by the adults/government in which they live because there is too much turmoil in their country that: no adults are there to protect them, or adults (rebel groups) and the government itself are employing these child soldiers because they need them. This would explain why there are so many in Africa because many countries in Africa are experiencing civil war, an environment in which children would not be protected and instead employed in war.
ReplyDeleteThe social and political conditions in these countries are obviously rather poor. They are third world countries that are in poverty and can't afford to pay for middle-aged soldiers. These children aren't protected by their parents because in these countries, it seems that everyone is for themselves. Their parents have abandoned them to keep themselves alive or they have died from disease. This problem exists mostly in African countries because they are 3rd-world countries ridden with disease and have been constantly oppressed. Either the countries have been aided by first world countries or they have been dominated by them. They don't know how to successfully govern themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cody's comment, especially his 2nd and 3rd points. The army more or less consists of these children because many adults die before they can serve from disease and malnutrition. As for his 3rd point, this problem is too big to be suppressed. People are unhealthy and are not cared for effectively.
I agree with Stacy's post. I also read the book 'A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah, and that's exactly what I thought of when we brought up this topic. I remember how he was recruited by both his government and rebel groups, against his will, after his village was burned and parents were killed. The kids were kept on high levels of drugs (cocaine) and intense training to be killers, and this damaged them so much psychologically. The use of children as soldiers is a definite issue that people need to address.
ReplyDeletethe countries in which children are involved in the military have some deep seated issues. the social conditions of these countries are poor. the average person is probably oppressed by a militant force. there is most likely a large separation between social classes with a large population in poverty. the large population in poverty is not able to sustain themselves. they are likely not able to buy adequate food or shelter. politically, the "legitimate government" may be recognized but the power is in the hands of the military or even in the hands of non legitimate groups. the legitimate government doesnt have control of the military and the leaders of the military have become corrupt, only gaining for themselves.
ReplyDeletethese children arent being protected by the government because the government has no power to enforce regulations or laws. in many cases as well, the parents or guardians of the children are so oppressed that they flee to different countries, leaving children to their fate.
i think that countries in africa have succumbed to this problem in part because for a long time the african nations were used for their natural resources by more powerful countries.
eric makes a good point that many african countries have been in conflict for a long time and therefore have a low population of adults able to fight. this lack leads the military to need to force younger and younger children to be used in the military and is a problem that cannot be solved in a simple manner.
I believe that child soldiers fighting for a country is wrong. I feel that they're not experienced enough and that things could go wrong much quicker. It shows that age restrictions laws are not existant like the U.S. This could mean that not enough people are volunteering to participate in fighting for their country so they have to use small innocent, not well educated children.
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