The methods used to train child soldiers turn them into killers through great manipulation; although rehabilitation programs are the only way to attempt to reintegrate these children into society, the people recruiting them must be stopped to end the vicious cycle. From the moment a child is chosen to fight in war, he/she is forced to face death with utter insensitivity. When a child is taken from their home to become a soldier, their families are often killed right in front of them; this is a way for the commanding officers to obtain total control. One of the first few steps in training a child to fight usually involves having the child kill someone; this person is often a civilian or someone from the child’s village. Killing someone from their village ensures that the child will not try to escape, for they will no longer be welcomed at home. It is common for the child to then have to consume the flesh or blood of the person they have killed, in an effort to diminish their emotional reaction to death.
Evidently, after this process the children are killers; they now see killing as a solution to most problems and have no emotional reaction to the crime they are committing. A child soldier, whos name was anonymously recorded as M, was quoted saying, "When I was fighting, I enjoyed it- killing and destroying. I killed human being, many; young, old, anyone. The first one, an old lady, I shot from far away. I was very angry, so I shot her. Their families killed my people" (Children At War). Although the children affected did not choose to be murderers, they are nonetheless a threat to society once returned to their normal lives. The rehabilitation programs and laws in place to protect children are not aggressive enough to put an end to this issue. Most of the rehabilitation programs in place by the United States in other countries require the children to want to willingly go through the rehabilitation process. Also, with the high possibility of children being sent back into war, they are only helped temporarily before being placed back into this vicious cycle.
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http://childsoldierrelief.org/laws_treaties/
http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=6684
Singer, P. W. Children at War. New York: Pantheon, 2005. Print.
The "steps" a child must go through to become a child soldier is unbelievable to those who's culture doesn't allow child soldiers. This is definitely a topic that needs to be addressed very soon, because the people killing innocent people just to be accepted into the cult are indeed CHILDREN. They don't know any better than to do what an older adult is telling them. It's not fair that children's minds are being manipulated into killing people and not having any sort of guilt or remorse feelings after doing it.
ReplyDeleteThere is movie called Voces Inocentes (Innocent Voices) it's about the child soldiers in El Salvador. It's in spanish, but it is an unbelievable film that everyone should see. This is a huge problem that should be addressed, I agree with Charlotte. The rehabilitation laws are a start but it's difficult because they are voluntary. I know you can not make a child go through this process but there must be some other form of help that can be offered to these children. Some boys get out of war when they are only 14 and they have their entire lives ahead of them. There must be another form of help.
ReplyDeleteThis is another one of those debates on cultures customs and their ethics. In situations where children are at risk for not having proper development, intervention must happen. Exposing children to the indecencies of war is detrimental to their well-being. It opens their eyes to the world of violence so early that it alters their perceptions of reality. There must be more radical actions to prevent this from happening. Not only is prevention key, but rehabilitation must be provided for those children who were affected by this.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness!!!! I had no idea of the horrors that these children face in order to become a child soldier! It's inhumane and barbaric. Those who recruit children to be soldiers are absolutely demented. I am more than willing to learn on how to help these children avoid being recruited and rehabilitated to those who have been soldiers.
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