Child Soldiers

By: Jordyn Walsh

 Definition of a Child
Soldier
A child associated with an armed force or
armed group refers to any person below 18
years of age who is, or who has been,
recruited or used by an armed force or
armed group in any capacity, including but
not limited to children, boys and girls, used
as fighters, cooks, spies or for sexual
purposes.
Use of Child Soldiers in the Civil War
In the American Civil War the Union and
Confederate armies both enlisted minors to
boost their numbers to strength their military

Parental consent was required for the

recruitment but many just ran away to join
the service

An estimated 100,000 Union soldiers were

boys under 15 years old
Use of Child Soldiers in
World War I and II
Almost all countries of this war made use
of child soldiers, with the exception of the
United States

Germans used young men through the

Hitler Youth Organization, using children as
young as 12

Russian, Polish, and Japanese young boys

were all similarly motivated to kill in war if
they wanted to live
Status of Child Soldiers
after the War
In 1970s the use of children soldiers
transitioned to some terrorist organizations,
using children to execute suicide bombings

Then in 1980s during the Iran-Iraq War,

Iranian forces sent child soldiers into active
minefields to clear the way for adult soldiers.

Women and children were sent into frontline

battles ahead of their main forces to absorb
the initial Iraqi attack
 ISIS Hand in Child
Soldiers
ISIS wants those under 18 for the other uses,
such as their innocent persona to the public

They are not being used to replace adults,

they are willingly integrated into ISIS military
operations

After training, ISIS spends a lot of time

instilling them with violent Islamist
extremism beliefs known as, Jihadist ideology
 ISIS Child Soldiers
(continued)
11 year old Abu Imara al Omri gave his
final goodbye to his father before giving
his life up in a truck full of explosives

1,100 children under the age of sixteen

were recruited by the Islamic State
between January and August 2015

ISIS even offers payments around $250 -

$350 per month for those who send their
child to join
Crunching the Numbers
Since 1998 there have been armed
conflicts involving child soldiers in at least
36 countries

Over the last 10 years 2 million children

have been killed in conflict

Over 1 million have been orphaned

 Conditions for Child
Soldiers
Child soldiers will be deprived of basic
needs such as shelter, food and medical
attention

Relief for children tends to be the last

priority of war

Children are most vulnerable to the

deprivation of food and education leaving
the most severe and lasting impact on
their development
Where are their Child
Soldiers Today?
Every year, the UN Secretary-General
publishes a list of shame showing which
state armed forces and non-state armed
groups recruit and use children

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?s
ymbol=s/2016/360&referer=/english/&Lang=
Where are their Child
Soldiers Today?
According(continued)
to the UNs list of shame in
2016. They are in: Afghanistan, Central
African Republic, Colombia, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar,
Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan,
Sudan, Syria and Yemen where armed
forced or groups recruit children
 The Aftermath
Over 6 million have been seriously injured or
permanently disabled and over 10 million have
been left with serious psychological trauma

If released the children grown are left with

nothing, living on the street, and sleeping on
sidewalks

However some are luckily enough to escape

and find their family

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htg8sK6iX- g
 References
Childsoldiersin. "Where are there child
soldiers?" Child Soldiers International. N.p., 02
Oct. 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

"Children in Conflict." Child Soldiers. N.p., n.d.

Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

"Countries Where Children are Affected by

Armed Conflict Office of the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General for
Children and Armed Conflict." United Nations.
United Nations, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.