Weaponized Innocence: The Rise of the Child Soldier
The phenomena of the utilization of child soldiers, in the depravity that is war, is a relatively recent revelation. For nearly four millennia, children were viewed as physically and mentally unfit for the field of battle. As such, their employment in such an endeavor was to be viewed as both ineffective and morally repugnant. The rise of the child soldier can be directly attributed to the preying upon of the disenfranchised, the displaced, and the dispossessed, through the use of fear and coercion, by adults who have detached themselves from morality. The power-hungry and, furthermore, money-hungry individuals, at the center of these widespread, yet highly regionalized conflicts found an…show more content… Furthermore, child soldiers who were brought into these organizations, under any circumstances, become fiercely loyal and develop a familial bond with both their captors and fellow soldiers. It is little surprise that such sense of loyalty is cultivated when looking more closely at the psychological and mental immaturity of children at this age. Children with little or no better options in their life are indoctrinated with an “us versus them” mentality in which they find themselves blaming everyone they meet in conflict with the wrongs in their life. This creates and perpetuates an unending cycle of victims which in turn ensures delivery of fresh recruits to the front lines of a war these children have little, if any, vested interest in. In “Children At War,” P.W. Singer offers insight into the complex circumstances which can lead child soldiers to join these forces voluntarily or, if their initial joining was not done willingly, develop loyalty to these groups. He writes, “The combination of unimaginable misery many children face and the normalization of violence in their lives can lead them to search for a sense of control over their chaotic and unpredictable situations.”(45). Singer continues, “Research on child development indicates that they will seek out and join armed groups that provide protection or…show more content… Even if a child is able to break free from the bonds which hold them they will return to a country decimated by war offering little opportunity for meaningful employment. These children will have to turn away from a life which has made them vicious, cold, and calculating killers, all of which was most present during the most formative years of their lives. Turning away from the only semblance of family many have known can leave them feeling despondent and without purpose in the world. It is then left to these broken creatures to repair the damage a never-ending cycle of violence, drug-use, and mental manipulation has caused them. This leaves many with the scars of an internal war that brews within them for years to come. In Rachel Brett and Irma Specht’s “Young Soldiers: Why They Choose to Fight,” the authors tackle the issues that can lead to a climate ripe for both the voluntary and forced enlistment of child soldiers. A lack of familial influence is a very telling predictor of such a fate. “It has already been documented that children separated from their family, for whatever reasons and whether permanently or temporarily, are the most vulnerable to both forced and voluntary recruitment by all parties to armed conflicts.”(124). A return to such an environment, with little family structure, support, or guidance could lead
