Declining Unavailable Education with Regards to Children in the Military
Background Information:
Over the past decade, the use of children as soldiers in armed conflicts has increased. Some join the military voluntarily to escape poverty, gain social recognition or sense strength and revenge, while others are occupied by force. In the course of history children have been easily skilled and put into action in combats such as World War I and II or for political advantage in propaganda. Due to their frivolity, children get influenced more simplistically to fight for their nations than adults. These horrendous experiences make them suffer for the rest of their lives and are likely to cause mental-health problems, a high risk of attempting suicide, poor literacy and numeracy, or behavioral issues like heightened aggression or violence. Statistics have proven that 2 million are killed, 4-5 million are disabled, 12 million left homeless, more than 1 million orphaned or separated from their parents, and 10 million children are psychologically traumatized. Simultaneously local children are also afflicted with unavailable education. The importance of education in countries cannot be overstated. Education can be the release needed to assist families and communities out of the cycle of poverty. Knowledge gives children the power to dream of an improved future and the confidence needed to proceed a complete education, which in turn will help generations to come.
The Current Situation of Affected Countries:
South Sudan: Forces attacking villages often grab children and force them at gunpoint to fight while others join to save themselves from being beaten or killed and to protect their communities, religion and cultures. But despite the commitments of South Sudanese leaders to end child recruitment, children continue to be used as soldiers. Since South Sudan overwhelmingly voted to break away from Sudan in 2011, the situation has continued to deteriorate.
Nigeria: Since 2009, the extremist armed group Boko Haram has employed hundreds, and possibly thousands, of boys and girls for its military operations. Incidentally dozens of children - mostly girls - are used as suicide bombers and initiated progressively brutish attacks against civilians. Between 2009 and 2015, Boko Haram’s attacks devastated more than 910 schools and constrained 1,500 more to close and hijacked more than 2,000 civilians, many of them women and girls and large groups of students.
UN Involvement:
The United Nations define child soldiers as children under 18 who are associated with military organisations, such as state armed forces and non-state armed groups. In addition to this, the UN specifies children in the military as clear instance of child abuse and manipulation by adults. More than twenty years ago the world united to strengthen cooperation with states and regional organisations to improve the protection of children. But there is still a lot that can be done to indemnify a suspension. To ensure the requirement of military suspension and education, we have to establish a means of tracking and reporting on the practice, advocate and uphold for the human rights of children, allowing agencies including UNICEF unrestricted access to all children in all detention facilities or reduce the costs of education to enable children a diverse possibility of seeking success and admission.
Bibliography:
https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/node/8268/pdf/1268_0.pdf
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/
http://www.globalissues.org/article/82/children-conflicts-and-the-military
https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/newsletter/2013/01/future-directions.aspx
