Prohibiting Child Soldiers
The Optional Protocol to the Convention of the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict has been ratified by all United Nations member states excepting Bhutan, Cameroon, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Lebanon, Liberia, Malawi, Micronesia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, San Mariano, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Suriname and Pakistan. This optional protocol, added the Convention of the Rights of the Child in May 2000 clearly states that all the states that ratify it must refrain from drafting children under the age of 18 into army forces, and that all the minimum age for voluntary army recruitment must be 15. Unfortunately, despite the large amount of countries which have signed and ratified this protocol, children in combat remains a pertinent issue in human rights and politics today. According to UNICEF, there are currently approximately 300,000 child soldiers today, many of which are under the age of 10. Child soldiers are most commonly deceived into joining combat forces. In war torn areas, the armies may promise the refugee children shelter, food, or monetary reward. They may sometimes lead the children while they are under the influence of drugs. Once these children join combat forces they are treated brutally.
The use of child soldiers is evident also in countries that have ratified the optional protocol. Although child soldiers are a fact in several nations, the places where child soldiers are most common are Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Columbia, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nepal, the occupied Palestinian territories of Israel, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, and Uganda.
In today’s age of technology, warfare is becoming more brutal than ever, and the concept of child soldiers is ever changing. Children are increasingly abused as suicide bombers. Small arms are becoming smaller and lighter, easier for young children to carry. Also, children, both boys and girls are becoming increasingly threatened by sexual abuse by armed militias.
In order to solve the issue of child soldiers, some of the issues that must be looked at are the education of children, proper humanitarian aid, rehabilitation of child soldiers, and increased security in war-torn regions. Children are sometimes educated to join a violent group in order to protect themselves, something that must be taken care of. Also, providing schooling for children can help teach how to protect themselves. Humanitarian aid is needed immediately in order to help those children in need and avoid them falling into the army’s hands out of desperation. Many of the child soldiers are extremely traumatized, and they must be rehabilitated as soon as possible in order to restore the large population of children who were forced into becoming child soldiers. In order to avoid children in combat in the future, peace and stability must be ensured in the areas where child soldiers are prominent.
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