Child Soldiering In The Military

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The induction and use of children in military organizations is one of the most heinous practices still left in the modern era. Both state and non-state armies use children to fight wars, often violating multiple human rights in the process. Child soldiering can be ended by forcing national governments to outlaw child recruitment, increasing opportunities for youth involvement in their communities, and destroying non-governmental militias that use children as soldiers. While the use of children in military forces is currently legal in fifty countries, the solution to this problem is relatively simple – make child soldiering in these places illegal. Currently, the United Nations enforces legislation from 1977 that ensures that “States Parties …show more content…
According to Forbes, “if children are born into and raised in a conflict zone… they are… less likely to have been exposed to opportunities, such as education or jobs” (Chatterjee n.p.). Further, “the military or militia is seen as a ‘meal ticket’ and a place for safety and security” (Chatterjee n.p.). By ending this condition, we can end the incentive for child soldiering and cripple its prevalence in developing countries. To do so, we must ensure that high-risk children have opportunities to escape their condition. An ideal conduit for foreign aid is UNICEF, whose mission statement declares its intentions to “expand [children’s] opportunities to meet their full potential… ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children [such as] victims of war” (UNICEF n.p.). By increasing allocation of funds and governmental support to UNICEF operations, the international community will equip a highly-trained group of specialists to increase the quality of life of war-stricken children across the developing world, allowing them to sustain themselves without resorting to the military. In turn, the population base from which armies and militias draw child soldiers will be minimized, and the current institution of child soldiering will be starved to …show more content…
With regards to independent PMCs, Child Soldiers International has already taken steps in “strengthening community resistance [which] continues to be an essential factor in ending armed groups’ exploitation of children” (Child Soldiers Int. n.p.). Cohesion at the community level prevents PMCs from abducting children without reprisal and keeps children fortified against the allure of military life with which recruiters will try to seduce them. Either the state government or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) would be capable of starting enrichment programs that would have this effect, in turn reducing the reward incentive for exploitative PMCs and keeping children in their homes where they belong. Most concerning of all, however, may be the PMCs that governments hire with the knowledge that they use children to fight, effectively bypassing the international law measures stated above. The UN General Assembly Security Council noted in its 2016 report that “in some cases, State-allied militia and vigilante groups have been mobilized and
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