Around the worldchildrenas young as eight years old are being recruited to join the ranks of armed groups and forces. They are being deployed in direct combat, hold support roles and perform logistical tasks. These groups spread propaganda to coercechildreninto joining, or, most frequently, abduct and terrorise them into obedience. Therecruitmentofchildrenunder eighteen is forbidden by international law, but regardless the crime thrives in several regions of the world ravaged by war.
The UN’sChildrenand armed conflictreport, released in June 2019, identified twenty countries where cases of childrecruitmentassoldiershave been verified. The report named the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen as the states where the problem is the most serious. Amongst them, the highest number of conscriptedchildrencould be observed in Somalia with 2,300 childsoldiers, followed by Nigeria with 1,947 of them.
Methods ofRecruitment
In countries where law enforcement is poor and the political situation unstable,childrenare vulnerable to forcedrecruitment. Firstly, terrorist organisations deceive the youth by showing them false images of prosperity and happiness within the groups. They also indoctrinate them by presenting the organisation’s ideology as the only right one. These groups specifically targetchildren, knowing that they are easy to manipulate.
In societies wherechildrenare being recruited assoldiers, they and their families often live in poverty. Hence, lured by the promises of good salaries in the militant groups,childrendecide to join them and help their loved ones. On top of that, tired of living in conflict zones,childrensometimes think that joining armed groups will provide them with protection and safety. Often, before becoming childsoldiersthey had been experiencingmaltreatment at homeor abuses by state’s forces.
Most of the time, however,childrendo not make a conscious decision to join militant groups. Instead, they are taken away from their parents and trafficked to remote regions where they have no way of seeking help. There, they are threatened, exploited, and face physical and sexual violence. They are told that if they attempt to escape, they and their families will be hurt, thuschildrensometimes stay in the groups for several years.
Children’s roles
Childrenare assigned a variety of roles within armed groups that recruit them. As UNICEFexplains, they can be ‘fighters, scouts, cooks, porters, guards, messengers, and more.’ When they first join, they have to undergo military training during which they learn how to use weapons. Then, many are deployed in combat and are forced to kill or serve as suicide bombers and human shields, which shows how serious the problem is.
Girls’ roles are different as they are usually abducted to become wives of male fighters or to be used as sex slaves. They are held in captivity and abused on a daily basis. Often, they areforced to bearchildrenfor adult members of the organisations that kidnapped them. Girls are being treated as objects and constantly face gender-based discrimination, which makes their experience in armed groups particularly traumatic.
Nevertheless, no matter their role and gender, all childsoldiersare deprived of the right to grow up in a healthy, safe environment. Their suffering and the scale of their fundamental human rights breaches are unimaginable and no child should ever find themselves in such a situation.
Putting an end to child exploitation
The problem ofrecruitmentofchildrenassoldiersis a difficult one to solve. Even after their liberation, manychildrenface rejection and discrimination by their home communities that see them as former criminals. In addition to that, former childsoldiersdeal with extreme psychological distress. As UNICEFexplains, it is imperative to address the roots of the problem in order to eradicate it.
Hence, intensified efforts should be placed on the prevention of childrecruitmentinto armed forces and groups. The main tool to achieve that should be to providechildrenin conflict zones with ‘social and economic opportunities to provide them with more prospects for their future’,saysWar Child, an organisation rehabilitating child victims of war. That, in addition to promoting and safeguarding their rights, would ensure that they lead a happy, safe life and do not have to seek protection in groups that use them to achieve their strategic goals.
About the author:Katarzyna Rybarczykis a Political Correspondent forImmigration News.This is a media platform that helps to raise awareness about migrant injustices and news around the world.
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