Child Soldiers Speech
West Africa has many "third world" countries. Since medieval times there has been a lack of food and bad climate. Plenty of the population of West Africa is farmers. Because of droughts they suffer from famine and lack of money. In Africa, there are plenty of resources, like gold, oil, and diamonds. However, people often fight over them, which often lead to conflicts and sometimes full scale wars. Also, religious disputes lead to conflicts and wars. Even now, these problems are present. Because West Africa constantly has wars and there is a shortage of people over 18 and a high mortality rate, children are often used as soldiers.
The government, rebel groups, and paramilitary militias would often abduct children and force them to be child soldiers. Often, they use fear as a weapon. They frequently brutally kill people so others are forced to give in. Other reasons are voluntary.
Morris Gallery of the Cumberland, Portrait of a bo...
July 2008 demonstrators
A "son of the regiment" wearing the Red Star for b...Some children were motivated to join because of poverty, others to seek revenge because of the violence enacted against them and their families, and a few children join because they want to look impressive.
Some children are used directly in combat but others are used in combat support. That includes messengers, spies, cooks, mine sweepers, porters, human shields, etc.
Being a child soldier is very tough. Many children are affected physically and emotionally through this crisis with terrible living conditions and brutal treatment. They are often forced to do terrible things and are given drugs and alcohol to influence their minds. Even if the children manage to survive, their lives could still be affected by what they experienced. It could take years just to recover from the emotional distress. Also, it is very hard to reshape their lives. It is a huge challenge for some that survived...