Children, the Victims of War

War is doing more harm than many

people think to children. Children shouldnt
be soldiers because of the effects and results
of battle. Battle is harmful because it can
cause trauma to children and nightmares.
Battle can also cause people to be severely
damaged or cause them
to lose a limb.

Location and
Deaths:
According to
Samantha Nutt, Congo is
one of the many where
they use children as
soldiers. More than 3
million people are at battle and half of them
are children. Why would parents want their
child to die? Most of the kids are either
taken without knowing or forced into it.
Usually most of the people that battle have
some sort of damage from the range of head
to toe. Some of the kids have bad memories
often and cant get over it. Most of the kids
have seen deaths and it usually scares them,
causing nightmares.
Children in war are affecting the kids
more than it does for adults. Children in the
war see gun shots zooming past them and
sometimes hit them losing a limb or two.
Adults can go through therapy to help them
and not make them so terrified when they
sleep and not to have nightmares. On the
other hand children might remember the war
for their whole lifetime; even though they go
through therapy it still might not help them
the way they expected.

Conditions:
Victims describe acts of cannibalism,
torture (including genital amputation), rape,
summary executions and sexual slavery at
the hands of Congolese armed militias
(Nutt). Kids and other
people in war are
getting tortured in
many different ways
than one can imagine,
from assault to
kidnappings.
Climate change can
cause the battle to be
harder and children
arent usually
prepared for different weather that adults
are. Childrens immune system isnt as
strong as adults are. Also children might not
have the right layers on or clothes to be
prepared for weather like snow which needs
heavy clothes on.
When children are in war they usually use
weapons that are bigger than them. Children
in battle use AK-47s, RPGs, and other heavy
artilleries. It is sad that children as tall as 4
foot are carrying guns as big as 5 feet.

Effects of War:
Some effects of war can be a loss of
a limb, loss of a loved one, and to be injured
physically and mentally.
Child soldiers have experienced
more severe exposure to war events, and
explore how war might affect youths

differently, depending on the co-occurrence

of these events Former child soldiers had
significantly greater experience of war
events than their non-recruited counterparts
(Vindevogel). The effect of war to children
is: traumas, damage to body or brain, have
severe nightmares and can be possible
suicide or the can go psycho and kill others.
Another effect of kids being soldiers
is their age. Children that are soldiers are in
the range of 9 to 19 and that is not right.
People need to stop using children as
soldiers and kids dont need to see battle and
it is not right for them at that age. Armed
combat in childhood is a form of child
abuse. It may lead to serious consequences,
including post-traumatic stress disorder. The
emotional abuse and acts or omissions by
caregivers may cause behavioral, cognitive,
emotional or mental disorder in the child
(Silva). Children thought of war is different
from when they enter. It is different because
after, children still think that they are in war
but actually it is reality.

Reasons for recruitment included:

volunteered (18), hatred of enemy (revenge)
(5), virtue of being a freedom fighter
(martyrdom) (9), as a mean of supporting
their family (economic) (3). One child was
abducted, 7 joined for fear of the enemy
abducting them, and in 5 a family member
was killed by enemy or own group (Silva
et all). Children shouldnt be recruited no
matter what. Children dont know what to
do or to think about when they are in the
battlefield. Children shouldnt also witness
the action of war and shouldnt see what
happens and can mentally damage them.
Overall children shouldnt have the
option to fight in wars because of the effects
and can damage them emotionally,
physically and mentally.

Written by:
Dylan Horrall

Works Cited:
"A Fairer World :: Youth :: Child Soldiers." A Fairer World :: Youth :: Child Soldiers.
Clarence High School, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

de Silva, Harenda, Chris Hobbs, and Helga Hanks. Conscription Of Children In Armed
ConflictA Form Of Child Abuse. A Study Of 19 Former Child Soldiers. Child Abuse Review
10.2 (2001): 125-134. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Jan. 2015

Nutt, Samantha. Arms and The Child. Macleans 117.6 (2004): 34-36. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

Spencer, Michael. "When Children Are Pawns in the Game of War." Internetmonkcom.
Mike Bell, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

Vindevogel, Sofie, et al War-Related Experiences of Former Child Soldiers in Northern

Uganda: Comparison With Non-Recruited Youths. Paediatrics & International Child Health
33.4 (2013): 281-291. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Jan. 2015.