Child+Soldiers

‍‍‍‍‍Topic: Should children be forced to participate as soldiers of war?
==‍‍‍‍‍Thesis Statement: Children should never be involved in anything such as war or violence at a young age.==

‍‍‍‍‍Outline:
I. Introduction: (include general ideas that will introduce your topic) II. Many Dying #1 - In the past ten years, over two million children have been killed in conflicts of war.
 * Children should never be involved in anything such as war or violence at a young age.
 * These children are kidnapped and stolen away from their homes to fight.
 * They are tortured and beaten until they obey their captors.
 * Girls are treated as sex slaves, and easily contract diseases such as HIV and AIDS.
 * Whether the children are being murdered by their captors or killed in battle, innocent children are being forced to fight (Lyon).
 * Often times, the children have to watch their family or neighbors die so there is nothing they can run away to, once captured (Lyon).
 * They are beaten and broken until a certain dependence forms for their captors. The children are burned with cigarettes, verbally abused, and sometimes killed if they resist to comply (Lyon).
 * In these situations, they are trained harshly. There were some reports in Central American claiming that the children had to drink the blood of animals. Occasionally, drugs and alcohol will be given to increase aggression and create an addiction. This works because after the child is addicted, there is only way they can continue to get the drug from the captor (Lyon).

III. Factors #2 - Others claim that children are small, easily portable, and able to get into places that larger adults cannot. IV. Rehabiltitation #3 - After being rescued from the war zone, most children are mentally unstable.
 * Because children are not fully mature, they do as they are told without questioning authority (Bethune).
 * Children that are written off as outcasts don't have anything to return to. War life is a way to deal with the loneliness. Most male adults have wives and a family that they want to see. Children, however, don't have anything left for them if they're parents were killed (Lyon).
 * They can also plant bombs, eavesdrop, and spy. Children also serve as suicide bombers. If they were discovered, children would recieve punishements less harsh than adults (Bethune).
 * The Coalition to Stop Use of Child Soldiers states that children are "cheap, expendable and easier to condition in fearless killing unthinking obedience" (Lyon).
 * Children who have experienced such violence do not respond well to the real world (Lyon).
 * Most of trouble socializing and understanding right and wrong (Browne).
 * Some transition back to wild behaviors in their adult life (Lyon).
 * Involving children in a war results in physical, psycological, and sexual abuse to most children (Browne).

V. Conclusion - Don't write anything here yet.

ROUGH DRAFT:

Most people spent their childhood playing with dolls or building blocks while their parents looked over their shoulder guiding their lifes until they could make their own decisions. In another part of our world in a place that seems strangely different from the United States, children are being forced to participate in war. These children are being kidnapped and stolen away from their homes just to fight for their captors' cause. Not only do they leave their families, but sometimes they are even forced to witness their family's executions. They are tortured, beaten, and burned until they learn to follow the rules. Trying to escape is impossible, and returning to home turns into imagination. There aren't enough people who are aware of this growing issue. Children should not be exposed to the violent surroundings of a warzone. Children should never be involved in anything such as war or violence at a young age.

In the past ten years, over two million children have been killed in conflicts of war (Lyon). Whether the children are being murdered by their captrors or killed in battle, innocent children are being forced to fight. If the child misbehaves or attempts to run away, they are treated with cruel punishments. They are sometimes even killed if caught trying to escape. Some children are burned with cigarettes or cigars while others lose an ear or a finger. After being disfigured, villages often reject these children because they are subjected to violent behavior. The children are also trained quickly and harshly. In Central America, there were some reports of children having to kill and drink the blood of animals (Lyon). They are given guns, knives, and bombs and are told to harm civilians. Drugs and alcohol are also used to increase agression. Using substances to spike agitation creates an addiction. In turn, the child not only becomes addicted to the substances, but this also creates a dependence for their captors (Lyon). Young girls are treated as sex slaves and often contract diseases such as HIV and AIDS. The girls don't participate in war, but are thought of as breeders for the next generation of children fighters.

Others claim that children are small, easily portable, and able to get into places that larger adults cannot.The Coalition to Stop Use of Child Soldiers states that children are "cheap, expendable and easier to condition in fearless killing unthinking obedience" (Lyon). Children's minds are not fully mature so they are less likely to question authority (Bethune). Because they haven't been taught right from wrong, children easily comply. If their families have been killed, their villages reject them, and they are forced to leave their "old life" behind, they don't have anywhere to turn to. Child soldiers don't have a place to call home or feel safe. These children are alone. People who capture and recruit children for war are often arrested (UPI Newstrack). These adults recruit children who are lonely so a depence on them begins to form. Children can plant bombs, eavesdrop, spy, and suicide bombers. If children are discovered, they recieve lesser punishments than adults (Bethune).

While some children or teenagers are captured, there are some children who volunteer to be a part of the war. Because there aren't many oppurtunities for work in places that lack roads, large buildings, and schools, children are signing up (Lyon). For growing teens, joining a militia could give them a sense of pride, purpose, and honor. Most teens don't have anywhere to go, or anywhere to turn to, so they decide to head for the army. Joining a local militia won't solve anyone's problems yet it still happens. Life on the streets would be less harsh than a militia with other children and cruel abusers. Most of children are being recruited in areas that are in economic downfall or are occupied countries infested with civil and communist wars.

After being rescued from the war zone, most children are mentally unstable. Involving children in a war results in physical, psycological, and sexual abuse to most children (Browne). If they are recovered and taken to a rehabilitation institution, children have trouble socializing and understanding the real world. They struggle in finding peace and happiness because they have grown up in a violent environment. Children who have experienced and fought in a war have nightmares, hallucinations, and don't easily accept their new lives. Some transition back to violent behaviors as an adult (Lyon). Learning the difference between right and wrong becomes a challenge while understanding peace is a problem (Browne). Occasionally, children who have experienced war at a young age commit suicide later on. Basically, once children come out of the war and try to return to their civilian lifestyles, they reach a crossroad. Their mental and emotional abilities are weakened since they have been traumatized by their upbringings.

It is unnessecary and brutal to allow children to fight in a local milita or army. There is no logical reasoning behind the fact that horrible adults want to ruin innocent children's lives. Children are tactical weapons, but can't do anything an adult can't. Using adults to fight battles that began with adults is the best way to solve anything. After fighting in a war, children face psychological, physical, emotional, and mental abuse. Most children and teens die fighting for their captor's cause, and never have a real childhood. They are tortured behind belief, stolen away from their families, and taught to hate the world. There is no need for this abuse, and this should come to an end. Children should never be involved in anything as violent as a war.