Reintegration Of Child Soldiers Essay

Governments around the world today are using child soldiers as expendable, Frontline combatants in armed conflicts around the world. Every day in countries around the world, vicious warlords and military generals kidnap children from their homes and use them to further their own goals of national conquest. These children are made to kill hundreds of people and are manipulated into thinking that what they are doing is righteous. The use of child soldiers can be mitigated by supporting the international campaigns that are dedicated to ending the use of child soldiers, helping those who have been victimized to reintegrate into society, and spurring governments around the world to action against the use of child soldiers. The use of child soldiers …show more content…
The reintegration of former child soldiers begins with negotiating the release of children and arranging their physical release from armed forces and groups. Then, after being freed from their captors, the long and complex process of searching for their parents begins. According to the organization Children in Armed Conflict; “Reintegration of former child soldiers is a complex and long-term undertaking”(Children in Armed Conflict). The reintegration of child soldiers involves reconciling the victims and their families for the atrocities that have been committed against them. The reconciliation process is difficult for many freed child soldiers because most of them have been brutally beaten, sexually assaulted, and forced to kill massive amounts of people for their captors. The organization, Children In Armed Conflict has stated that “reintegration is critical for the well being of former child soldiers and to ensure that cycles of violence are not perpetuated”(Children in Armed Conflict). The fact that violence has become a routine part of the lives of these children shows why it is so important to make sure that child soldiers are completely rehabilitated after being freed by their