Child soldiers
Children living in areas with conflicts will always suffer, but for some children the situation is made many times worse when they become directly involved in the fighting as child soldiers. Around 300,000 children, some as young as seven, are fighting in over 30 conflicts around the world. Army chiefs like to recruit children because they are small, easy to intimidate, do not ask for wages, require less food than adult soldiers and are less likely to rebel or ask questions. Recruiters deliberately target children, and may make war sound exciting and adventurous to lure them to join. With new weapons that are lightweight and easy to fire, children are more easily armed, with less training than ever before.
Most child soldiers are aged between 14 and 18. They are mainly boys, but girls are also recruited. Both government armed forces and rebel armed political groups use child soldiers. They are used for a number of different roles. While many children participate directly in combat, they are also used as spies, messengers, porters, servants or to lay or clear landmines. Girls are often sexually abused and forced to 'marry' adult soldiers.
Children are recruited as child soldiers by armed forces and groups, either forcibly or voluntarily. Many children have no choice about becoming a soldier, because they are rounded up and forced to fight, or even abducted from school or home. Others join because they are so poor, and this seems the only way to get food and to survive. Most child soldiers come from very poor families, or from vulnerable groups like street children or refugees who may have no family around them. This makes them particularly vulnerable to being recruited. Joining an army may give orphans a sense of belonging, almost like a replacement family. Some children have lost their families in war and want to get revenge for their deaths or they genuinely believe (or have been brainwashed into believing) that they are doing the right in fighting. Having a gun and giving orders can make children feel powerful and important.