It is estimated that there are more than 120,000 children , around the age of seven, that are being used as soldiers in Africa. The young boys that are recruited fight on the front lines of combat, participate in suicide missions, act as spies, and often carry messages across enemy lines. While the young girls that are used as soldiers rarely fight, they are mostly subject to sexual abuse and taken as wives for the rebel leaders. After being recruited by Warlords the young children are drugged, brainwashed, and trained so that they feel no emotion when it comes to killing. And a lot of the children have to pass a test after being recruited, the test is for them to kill their whole family. Why do you think that leaders of militia groups in Africa target children when it comes to recruiting new soldiers? What do you think this does to their mind?Friday, March 14, 2008
Children as Soldiers in Africa
It is estimated that there are more than 120,000 children , around the age of seven, that are being used as soldiers in Africa. The young boys that are recruited fight on the front lines of combat, participate in suicide missions, act as spies, and often carry messages across enemy lines. While the young girls that are used as soldiers rarely fight, they are mostly subject to sexual abuse and taken as wives for the rebel leaders. After being recruited by Warlords the young children are drugged, brainwashed, and trained so that they feel no emotion when it comes to killing. And a lot of the children have to pass a test after being recruited, the test is for them to kill their whole family. Why do you think that leaders of militia groups in Africa target children when it comes to recruiting new soldiers? What do you think this does to their mind?
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I think this situation in Africa is very frightening as well as sad and pathetic more or less. Children should not be used for duties such as these. I believe that the militia groups target young children because unfortunately they are the strongest fighting power they have and don't have a care in the world whether or not they die. They would rather sacrifice a couple hundred children instead of themselves on most occasions and see them as the easiest route possible to get "their" job done. I feel extremely sorry for the children because honestly, I don't think that they want to be engaged in such acts of war but they have no choice ultimately. The act of "brainwashing" the children is the only route possible probably for the militia groups to get what they want out of the children. I also think that the children, even though they don't have a choice, engage in such acts because they have no other options that seem more beneficial. They probably think that they may survive this way if they do what the militia groups tell them.
I think the child soldiers in Africa are very tragic. Warlords target children to train as their soldiers and to participate in a war. The warlords choose children because they are easily brainwashed. A child’s mind can be easily shaped. They train them to a new lifestyle and set them out to kill. A child does not usually question the elders around them and forms to the environment they are in. They target young children because they will do what they are told and are not a threat to the warlords. When the children are set out to kill their family to pass their test, they have no concept of what is really happening. Because the children have been ripped from their homes, they are vulnerable and easily trained. The people they are killing are no longer their family, the people who taught them to kill are.
The warlords brainwash children and completely distort their thought processes. The children are no longer able to think for themselves and do what they are told. This brainwashing completely destroys a child’s mind. Though they do not understand the effects of their actions, they have completely lost their innocence as a child. These children have done absolutely nothing wrong and they have been brought into a war they know nothing about. If I child somehow survives the war or escapes the warlords their minds will be altered for life. Unfortunately because there are a great number of children and they are easily brainwashed, they will continue to be used as a fighting force for the warlords in Africa.
A child's mind soaks up information and everything in its environment. They say that the easiest time by far to learn any language is when we are very young. Children can barely filter, if at all, information that is given to them. When it comes to training children for military use at the age of seven, the children do not stand a chance to think any other way. Recruiting children is much easier than recruiting people at any other age because the children do not know right from wrong and easily believe in what they are told. If the pressure is great enough, of course the child would not think twice to doing what they are taught, even if that means killing their family. After being taught these things as a child, they grow up in a world of unthinkable violence. Their lives would be a struggle for power and they would kill to get it. It is very disturbing to hear that things like this are going on.
This is a very sad, somewhat unknown reality. These children go through so much pain and suffering that we cannot even imagine. Children are innocent and so naïve; therefore their minds can be easily molded. I think this is the main reason why they are chosen as soldiers. They are easily influenced and will usually follow whoever is in charge. Children want someone to idolize. If they are taught at a young age that killing people is the right thing to do then they will want to do whatever their role model does and tells them to do. First and foremost, I think these rebels are corrupting children’s mind and enabling them to not have any chance of a normal life. Most of these children die in combat or the few that are rescued spend their whole lives trying to recover and most never do. I just think the whole situation is very sad and makes me think twice about how I influence children.
First off, it is wrong and misleading to say "in Africa". That paints a picture that all of Africa has child soldiers and is in war. Portraying all the war torn countries in Africa as anonymous, perpetuates the view that the continent of Africa is helpless and always in war. Although this is the case portrayed by the media this is not true. Africa is diverse and there are indeed peaceful countries in Africa.
With that said, leaders of militia groups target children for many reasons. In the movie, War Dance, a man from the rebel group, in Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army, explains that they used to take children because children equal power.
Children equal power for three main reason. First being that because many war-torn countries older populations are killed from the war, the majority of their population is children, so they are easily accessible. Hence having the majority of the population targeted as soldiers naturally equates to power. Secondly, abducting children terrorizes the entire population more. This is mainly because of the violence in abduction and use as soldiers to target the community. Thirdly, child soldiers make it difficult for retaliation from other forces and from themselves. This is because children are easily manipulated and controlled through fear and their small size in itself makes it difficult for them to fight back and overpower the commanders. But we do need to keep in mind that many of them are teenage age and not necessarily children. Youth in all cultures have idle time because they are not yet married with children.
Its interesting that the prompt mentions recruiting children, rather than abducting them. There is a small majority of children that actually go willingly. This is usually because they see fighting them as useless and leading to their own death. In these children's cases they usually think if they cannot fight them, they may as well be "safe" with them. Also, many times it is innate for children to desire to be a part of something greater than them and they get caught in the mentality of fighting for something.
So in the end, the children's minds are manipulated to believe that being a soldier is the only way to live, be safe and be apart of something powerful.
The most overwhelming statement about these children in Africa is that they have to kill there families. I do not quite understand why they are forced to do that as a test, and I am not sure how you could actually brainwash a child to actually do that to their own family. I believe the young children throughout Africa are chosen as new soldiers because at a young age, the children will do as they are told and can easily be brainwashed into doing wrong. No child, in my mind, should have to kill at such a young age. No child shoud be subjected to sexual abuse either. These militia groups obviously have almost all the power they can possibly want if they are able and aloud to do this. I am sure the children are either given the choice to kill or to be killed. I wonder at what age the kids are actually brainwashed and how long it takes to brainwash the kid to kill... This type of brainwashing ruins a child's mind in the worst possible way! Killing becomes a job that is done without thought or emotion. It is really depressing to read how easily children can be influenced and that this is actually occurring in Africa.
Children are so easily influenced. So obviously, if they are taught that using a gun for violent purposes and killing is seen as acceptable and okay, they are going to think that. Putting a gun in a child's hands is in no way beneficial. Not only can it promote violence, it could even promote murder and killing. This situation is heart breaking and pathetic.
However, this picture completely sets a stereotype for the entire country. Is the entire country of Africa at war? I don't think so. Are there millions and millions of child soldiers? I don't think so. Though this picture may portray quite an intense message, it can also be misleading at the same time.
There are many reasons why the militia would want to obtain child soldiers. Can you imagine pointing a gun at a child and pulling the trigger? For many that would be an impossible task. Also, many children in Africa may be homeless or stranded, so offering them a membership into a group such as the army is very attractive to them. Though we may not understand why these things do occur, the people behind it all have motives that may be a bit off kilter.
This picture seems to be very informative and persuasive while at the same time it can be very deceitful.
Im sure they recruit the young so they will grow up fighting and eventually be really good at. Also, when they put children in as their soldiers they can easily influence them to do things and also they dont have to worry about the children turning on them. Children are recruited because leaders can have absolute control over them.
I guess the militia's reasons for recruiting kids is because they probably know that someone who knows what they are doing wouldnt support their cause. So they recruit little kids or they kidnapp little kids and give them machine guns to kill people who wont support the militia leaders.
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