Child Soldiers In Syria Canadian humanitarian, author, and former political figure Romeo Dallaire once said, “It may seem unimaginable to you that child soldiers exist and yet the reality for many rebel and gang leaders, and even state governments, is that there is no more complete end-to-end weapon system in the inventory of war machines than the child soldier. Man has created the ultimate cheap, expendable yet sophisticated human weapon at the expense of humanity’s own future: its children.” Currently, Syria is from top to bottom one of the most war-ridden countries in the entire world; the perfect place to find child soldiers. Since 2011, there has been a civil war between Syria’s president and rebel groups in conjunction with terrorism,…show more content… To start, it is said that “Children are exposed to situations of terror and horror during war--experiences that may leave enduring impacts like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” (Barbara 1). Children who end up surviving the battlefield may struggle with mental illnesses like PTSD, which is a diagnosis for people who are haunted from an event of their past. Also, child soldiers can acquire severe physical injuries that could lead to an agonizingly painful future for them. For example, if a child were an amputee in Syria, they may have to wait up to ten years for treatment, and in that time their life is at great risk due to their wound. Many hospitals have been destroyed in Syria, limiting the amount of people who can be properly tended. To continue, the conflicts in Syria are too violent for a child to live in , much less to be deployed into battle as a soldier. The budding mind and body of a child soldier will be forever damaged, something they will never be the same from. They do not have a choice but to throw themselves into the monster that is war. They kill other people, only end up killed, too. Overall, child soldiers are essentially tortured, which is yet another human rights…show more content… To start, a child soldier misses out on a childhood to go to war. Second, former child soldiers suffer both emotionally and physically. It is nearly impossible to target and dismantle all recruitment of child soldiers. But it helps to contribute to the cause to stop the issue. Humanitarian groups accept donations, which can help with the aid and relief of struggling families in Syria. One could go even further and become a volunteer who travels to place were assistance is needed. Romeo Dallaire explained child soldiers as the perfect weapon of war, but under no circumstances that form of child labor is acceptable to
