Why Are Child Soldiers Wrong

War is easily one of the worst human activities, every year, approximately 70,000 people lose their lives to war (Schultz). So you would think that we would try to keep our children, the future of our civilization, as far away from war as possible. However, that is not the case, in many countries around the world child soldiers are still a major issue, one that needs to be stopped. According to UNICEF, there are currently approximately 300,000 child soldiers being used for things such as cooks, combatants, messengers, scouts and sex slaves worldwide in around 30 ongoing conflicts (UNICEF, “Factsheet”). The international practice of using child soldiers in armed conflicts should be abolished worldwide. War and militarized conflicts are far too …show more content…
Many children die or retain serious injuries in wars. In the last 10 years, 2,000,000 children have died, and another 6,000,000 have been seriously injured (SOS Children’s Villages). War zones are dangerous for everyone, but children, who are likely weaker than their adult counterparts, are especially at risk of retaining a life changing or life ending wound. Statistics back up the fact that death and injury are far too prevalent in the world of the child soldier for it to be an acceptable practice. Due to advancements in military technology, children are also becoming increasingly vulnerable on battlefields. Since the second world war, many advancements in military technology, like aerial bombardments, have lead to a higher rate of soldier deaths (UNICEF, “Children in War”). With technological advancements making the killing in war more efficient and effective, children, who are generally pushed to the front lines in conflicts, can be left almost defenceless. Sending anyone to the front lines under the modern military conditions is evil, but sending children who are typically the weaker fighters is absolutely horrid. A very easy solution to this could be reached by simply not involving children in conflicts at all. There is little doubt that war is dangerous, however, for children who are generally given more dangerous roles than adults, and who are weaker and less developed physically than …show more content…
Child soldiers are more likely to develop PTSD and depression than adults soldiers. A study that was done in 2011, by Brandon Kohrt, on the effects the Nepalese civil war had on child soldiers, revealed that 55.3% of child soldiers developed PTSD and that 52.3% developed depression (Kohrt). At that point in their lives, a child’s brain is still developing and they can suffer mentally from things like PTSD and depression more readily than a fully developed brain. The effects of war on the mental health of children can be detrimental to the rest of their lives. This long term consequence of war on the development children is not even close to worth the miniscule short term help they can provide to a military group. Many children 's’ future relationships with people can also be permanently damaged. Child soldiers have been known to develop attachment problems such as Separation Anxiety Disorder (Somasundaram et la. Jayatunge). Because of the tough conditions a child soldier must face, they can develop disorders like Separation Anxiety Disorder, which can make relationships throughout the rest of their lives a problem that makes their lives harder. The effects of attachment disorders and other mental illnesses caused by war will affect not only the children that have them, but also the people they know and the communities they are in. Long after wars have been fought the