You will prepare and submit a term paper on International Organizations and Human Rights: Discussing Amnesty International and Children Soldiers. Your paper should be a minimum of 1250 words in length. Although the practice of child soldering has not been eradicated globally, the effects, strategies, and approaches of Amnesty International have been significant and may lead to greater, future successes in regards to this issue.
What exactly is a “child soldier?” The internationally accepted definition of “child soldier,” as of 2007, is any person, under the age of 18, who is active or has ever been recruited or forced to participate in military or any armed group in any capacity. This means that this does not only include armed children who participate in active conflict, but those used as cooks, spies, and messengers as well (Child Soldiers International). Unfortunately, within the last decade, the instance of child soldiers continues to be reported all over the world, including parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Although, it has decreased since the mid-20th century when the recorded conflicts involving children showed that 80% of the children involved were under the age 15 and some were as young as 7 or 8 years old (Kaplan 2005). Many of these worldwide military forces choose children as potential soldiers because they are young, impressionable, easily misled, and intimidated. Many forces have, also, seen the effect that children in combat can have on the ethical principles of their opponents. Finally, there is, often, little other options that “fighting.” In many of the world’s countries where poverty, hunger, political strife, and poor education leave such youths with few options (Beard 2011). .
