Child Soldiers essays

Child Soldiers essays What do you think of when you hear child soldiers? You probably think of them as trained children that were destined to be a soldier from birth that are trained and have the psyche to be soldiers. You probably think that the idea of children as soldiers is something in a science fiction book and that it does not have any basis on the real life. The reality is that child soldiers do exist and it is not what we think it would be. First off what exactly are child soldiers? They are actually just normal children and teenagers just like us (anyone under the age of 18 is legally considered a child). What makes them differ from us is that they were denied a childhood. Almost all areas that utilize child soldiers are areas that are in constant conflict (such as Iran and Iraq). Any person that is caught in an area of strife or battle can just be taken and turned into a soldier. The loyalties of these soldiers do not matter since the child is young enough that he/she is easily intimidated and thus easily controlled. The soldiers can be recruited from anywhere. They can be from the losers side of a fight or they can just be kidnapped off their homes. Some governments also draft children into their armies without any notice. Anyone that resisted is of course executed. Government soldiers came and forced me and my father to join them. My father refused so they cut his throat. They beat me and tied me and forced me to join the fighters.1 Sadly some fighters join the army on their own will for revenge or as protection. Most countries that have active child soldiers are the countries that experience chronic poverty; it is only natural that children join the army for food and shelter. The duties of these soldiers are almost the same. They serve as spies, scouts, messengers, and they, of course, fight on the front lines in a battle. Most children do menial tasks such as carrying guns and ammunition to t...