Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone Essay

The Revolutionary get together Front of sierra Le mavin (RUF/SL) invaded sierra Leone from Liberia in March 1991. initially they claimed to be a political try supporting liberation and democracy. Instead the RUF, in reality, was an insecurely combined organization of in the main rebellious teen sequenced bulk that inflicted pestilent disaster throughout the country of sierra Leone. The political revolution mess get along with failed to win popular support, the RUF board on a barbarian ten-year well-bred war that had ruin consequences for civilians, in particular barbarianren.General tuition about tiddler SoldiersThe leans of electric s namer soldiers argon continually variable condition the growth of diverse gird meshings. The number of pincerren below the eld of 18 who rush been hale or induced to down up arms as kidskin soldiers is commonly thought to be roughly of 300,000. Non-governmental troops organizations tend to put forward soldiers at a lower mas termind the age of 15. disposalal build up forces, on the some other hand, atomic number 18 much likely to recruit soldiers to a lower place the age of 18. From what is known the age of 7 is the youngest a small fry soldier can be. Over 50 countries currently sire on tykeren under the age of 18 into their militia.picFigure 1. The African attitude since Africa has without every(prenominal) doubt the largest number of minor soldiers1What is a small fry Soldier?UNICEF, The united Nations minorren Fund, defines sister soldiers as both baby bird boy or girlunder eighteen geezerhood of age, who is part of any kind of regular or befriendment gird force or build up group in any capacity2. match to the conjunction to Stop the Use of minor Soldiers Child soldiers perform a fly the coop of tasks including engagement in combat, laying mines and explosives scouting, spying, performing as decoys, couriers or guards training, drill or other preparations logistics and su pport functions, portering, cooking and municipal labour and knowledgeable slavery or other enlisting for sexual purposes.3Girls ar in any case called child soldiers and this is the case for numerous reasons. Girls usually fulfil numerous roles. piece of music they are commonly recruited and intentiond for sexual purposes, they are al to the highest degree always besides caught up in other armament responsibilities. These include combat, laying explosives, portering, and performing home(prenominal) tasks.How many child soldiers are on that point?It is difficult to go across a intercontinental number of child soldiers at any one time. There are diverse reasons as to why exact figures can non be calculated. An example is that military commanders frequently affect children or do non forfeit access to observers. fortify groups regularly shut up in dangerous, unapproachable zones to which observers do not pull in access and many children check out support roles and are whence not visible in military operations.How do children blend soldiers?A special(prenominal) report on the impact of build up conflict on children which was created in 1996 explained how children bring into being soldiers. In the report it is stated longing and poverty may drive parents to endure children for service or attract children to voluntary as a way to control regular meals, clothing or medical examination attention. Some children become soldiers to protect themselves or their families in the face of violence and madhouse around them, firearm others, particularly adolescents, are lured by ideology. Children similarly identify with companionable causes, religious expression, self-determination, national liberation or the pursuit of political freedom, as in South Africa or the occupied territories.4 another(prenominal) reason emphasizes the efficient value of children, especially for tedious tasks. An important explanation to cargo deck in mind could be t hat child soldiers may be valuable for signalling purposes. A rebel leader may foretaste to show significance, commitment or terror through abduction of a child5. Finally, some people insist that young children are more malleable, adaptable, and obedient, as well as more easily persuaded and deceived. Therefore they are utter to be easier to manage and retain6. If children are as productive as adults, we should find a disproportionate number in gird groups.The following ii case studies give examples of what a girl and a boy have gone through during sierra Leones annihilating civil war. By describing their tasks, the reasons as to why these violate serviceman Rights can be clearly seen. cause Study FatmataFatmata was one of only two survivors from her village in sierra Leone. She was only six long time old when she was captured by the cruel rebel groups. She was treatn to a rebel stronghold and forced to meet under harsh conditions as a servant. In Fatmatas own dustup We had to work all day while they would curse my mother and abuse me. When she got older, Fatmata was forced to become the second wife of one of her rebel captors, in that locationfore meaning she was assail and gave birth to the child of a rebel.7 effect Study Ishmael BeahIn A Long Way gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah, now xxvi years old, tells a success to the full fascinating story of his life as a child soldier. At the age of twelve, he fled from rebel attacks and wandered a land caused to be unrecognizable by brutality. By thirteen, he had been captured by the government army, and Beah, even though he was a gentle young boy at heart, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. At sixteen, he was taken away from fight by UNICEF. Beah, like many other child soldiers, had gone through devastating psychological traumas and through the dish up of the rung at his rehabilitation centre, he wise(p) how to exculpate himself, to regain his benignant beingsity an d was in the end able to heal.8 gracious RightsAccording to the virtue and reconciliations commissions report the use of local anesthetic as well as international human rights mechanisms in responding to the shocking criminal acts that took place in sierra Leone during the previous decennium is important to the nurture of international human rights law of nature9. Sierra Leone became a instalment of the United Nations in 1961 and is a signatory to most of the important human rights committees including the host of the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and welfare of the Child. The Government of Sierra Leone has also ratified the optional protocol. Children Rights Act has been enacted in Sierra Leone quite recently in 2007. The Government of Sierra Leone signed and ratified the protocol on 8 September 2000 and 15 May 2002. gathering to the Rights of a ChildThe design to the Rights of a Child (CRC) is hold up on diverse legal systems as well as cultural traditions. The chemical formula is a universally agreed specialize of fixed standards and obligations. These human rights set the least amount of pre-emptive declaration and freedoms that should be valued by governments. In Article 38, the Convention on the Rights of the Child insist that governments to take all possible measures to guarantee that children under 15 have no get off engagement in warfare. The Convention also sets 15 years as the tokenish age at which a person can be willingly recruited into or willingly signs up in the fortify forces.10 ex gratia communications protocolThe Optional communications protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the contribution of children in armed conflict symbolizes a progressive leap in the international law in run to defend children from the damaging effects of enlisting and use in warfare. The Protocol requires States who elucidate it to obtain all practicable measures to make sure those members wh o are part of their armed forces and are under the age of 18 do not have a direct involvement in the fightings. States essential also raise the tokenish age for voluntary recruitment into the armed forces from 15 years but does not require a minimum age of 18.The Protocol reminds States that children under 18 years are entitled to distinctive security system and so any voluntary recruitment under the age of 18 must include adequate protection. Compulsory recruitment below the age of 18 is fully banned and States parties must also take legal measures to forbid self-governing armed groups from recruiting and using children under the age of 18 in conflicts.11 ARTICLE 1 of the Optional Protocol States Parties shall take all possible measures to ensure that members of their armed forces who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct part in hostilities. This shows that the Protocol raised the age that children are allowed to be a member of an illegal or legal armed fo rce from 15 years to 18 years.UNICEF and The International turn in Committee and how they have helpedIn Sierra Leone, UNICEF was the lead agency for child protection, which worked with its colleagues to void arms, and to release and reconnect process for child soldiers from 1998 to 2002.They rebuild protective and healthy schoolingal environments where cause child soldiers obtain the opportunity to chance upon how to live without weapons, gain new skills which enables them to be prepared for their future and to learn how to become prolific citizens in their society.Most significantly they are given a second chance to learn how to be children again. Demobilized children were go to temporary criminal maintenance centres supported by UNICEF where they were given health care and also psychosocial counselling. They also participated in educational and unskilled activities while family tracing reunification was issue on. A vast majority of power child soldiers have been reunite d with their families. Access to education and family and community support programmes have been the account to their success to help the former child soldiers12.With headquarters in Freetown and ternion field offices in Kono, Kenema and Kailhaun districts, the International have Committee provides programs that focus on child protection, education, and health, specifically for former child soldiers subsequently the civil war ended in 2000. The IRC full treatment to increase local participation in project activities, build local capacity, promote and protect human rights, spouse with local communities and organizations, and address relief and development needs in a holistic fashion. The Revolutionary United Front rebels released 600 child soldiers. The International Rescue Committee provided education, skills training, and psychosocial care to 100 of them13.ConclusionTo conclude, there have been many programmes that have been created to reduce and aid former child soldiers. O ff go it is not possible to help every single child soldier and there are many reasons for this. Some of the reasons are that there are still a number of these soldiers that may still be involved and their whereabouts are not known. During the civil war, many of the parents of these children were killed, so it is difficult to reunite them with their families, and if they are lucky another family member may still be existing in order to look aft(prenominal) them. Organisations, like UNICEF, provide homes for former child soldiers who are unlucky to not have anybody. By education and counselling, children learn to forgive themselves for violent crimes they were forced to commit and help themselves to progress in the future.REFERENCES Beah, I (2007). 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