Guns for Toys

Guns for Toys

The world has been plagued by war after war, destroying towns and cultures; Using brutal and barbaric tactics in an attempt to win. There has been one tactic used that has been swept under the table for many years and that tactic is recruiting and luring young children to fight for their cause. For centuries children have been involved in military campaigns; From warships, drummer boys on the battlefields of Europe or in the jungle being infantry. These children are too young to be fighting in wars and often have no idea what they are taking part in. Children should never be targeted for wars that they cannot truly understand because having a child the age of 12 wielding a gun and shooting people strips them of their compassion, innocence and childhood. These children are innocent victims in armed conflicts.

Children that get involved in violent conflicts are often manipulated by adults and have long term repercussions that are greater than the children could of imagined. Recently, there are thousands of children under the age of 16 that have fought or are fighting in wars across 25 different countries. In the movie “Beast of No Nation” by Cary Fukunaga a Civil war is being waged and a child by the name of Agu gets trapped into joining the rebel army. Agu was just a young child but the man who ran this rebel battalion, Commandant fed lies into them so they would fight without thinking. The commandant “will always protect you because you are my son. And a son always protects his father” (Beast of No Nation) This goes to show the extent of lies that are used to get young children to fight for their cause. These are innocent children that have lost their families and try to seek comfort only to find manipulative men like the commandant. It goes to show the lack of humanity these men have, preying on young children who are confused and alone.

Another sad truth is that sometimes these young boys have no choice. Children can be taken from their families and homes by government supported forces and if the families of those children fight to keep their 12 year old son, the military could consider them to be the enemy. There has been civil wars that have resulted in families being killed just because they were hiding their child; Mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers all killed for trying to save a young boy from never being the same for the rest of his life. Governments could be just as cruel during civil wars than the opposition. Many children are born during war. It may be such an integral part of their everyday life that it is mostly ignored as the reason for rising amounts of young boys become soldiers. Most of the time families are scattered and the support system fails and the children have no other choice but to join an armed group.

War was such an inevitable part of life that the effect on the young minds became forgotten and ignored. Millions of children around the world suffer from psychological problems like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the toll of armed conflict, others unwillingly participate in the same and become scarred for life. Their brains burned with images of war and death, pushing their innocents to the verge of extinction. One thing that sets them over the edge is watching as they fire their weapon and see the bullets hit its target. Traumatized and physically damaged, they lose faith in their own humanity and innocence; their ability to be children again fades away. To find meaning in their lives disappears as well as happiness and trust.

The country of Africa is a primary example of where one can find children soldiers. In the United States, we know it isn’t right for there to be children soldiers, except on the other hand, this can be considered honor to family or they are forced into the war because they’re poor. The children are usually spies or they can shoot guns. “Most child soldiers are boys, but girls make up a substantial minority a constitute about 40% of the population of child soldiers. However, girls are much more vulnerable to abuse and are used mostly for sexual purposes by male soldiers.” (AnswersAfrica). This is important because usually people assume that boys are the only ones that are affected by the wars, except woman are too. Little girls taken advantage of whether it be sex, abuse, or arranged marriage. Another important component that is involved in Africa with children soldiers is that the country will be recruited, they do not volunteer. “Children have been recruited as soldiers in countries such as Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, Libya, Mali, Chad, Uganda, and Central Africa among many other countries” (AnswersAfrica). What is upsetting about this is that this is a societal norm. It is considered a societal norm to Africa for children in Africa to get their innocence taken away, and and other components of their childhood taken away because it is what is expected of them without them having a choice.

We can also find children soldiers in the country of the Philippines. The Philippines is an island based nation that contained a government side along with a rebellion side. “Groups such as the Moro National Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, New People’s Army and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have subjected children as young as 11 to all out combat. “ (Paulat). Neither side is better than the other because they both contain children soldiers that are recruited. What is upsetting about crazy about this is that the children are only 11 years old. When an average American child is 11 years old, they are usually in 5th or 6th grade just starting middle school. Whereas, children in these countries are fighting for their lives and their country’s honor because they are either forced to or because it is what is expected by them. As an 11 year old in the Philippines is getting their childhood taken away by fighting for their hands without them even know what is right or wrong.

One of the countries that was listed with children soldiers is also Colombia. Colombia is a beautiful spanish country in Southern America. Except, Colombia is also very poor country. “Sometimes lured in by family members sympathetic to the rebellion, or via drugged kidnapping, the kids