Ishmael Beah was only twelve years old when he was conscripted into the Sierra Leonean army. From that point on, he was put through horrors that no child should have to bear. While most children in far parts of the world were concerned with schoolwork, friends, and what they wanted for their birthdays, Ishmael was turned into a killer. The young child was forced to consume large amounts of drugs, then fight in combat. He suffered this for months until being rescued by UNICEF
Ishmael's story, while so sad, is shared by as many as 250,000 children around the world who are actively fighting in combat today, and hundreds of thousands more who are in the armed forces ready to be called up at any time. These young children are forced to take up arms and fight for their country, some as young as age ten.
The impact of this on the children involved is extreme. An obvious consequence is death and injury. It is hard to estimate the amount of children killed or hurt in combat, but even a single child dying after being forced to fight in a war is a violation of basic human rights. Many of these children are forced to deal with horrible conditions which often lead to disease. Besides the physical impacts, the psychological ones can be quite severe. Post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the most prominent disorders that linger in child soldiers even after being rescued. Ishmael Beah in his own book tells of dreams he used to have, in which he would be shot in the head. He states he would wake up screaming, and then be given drugs by the older soldiers to calm him down. Adjustment disorders are also very prominent. Many children lead their entire life in combat, so it becomes hard to adjust. Unfortunately to these children, combat and killing are all they know. Many other psychological disorders ranging from depression to eating disorders are more often then not present, showing that this is a real problem.
The problem of abused children in the military is one that is the entire world's responsibility to correct. The first and obviously most important job of the international community is to take these child troops out of combat. More funding should be given to programs such as UNICEF that rescue these children, and nations that allow child soldiers should be punished. We as a human race should not turn a blind eye to this kind of inhumane treatment.
The second, and often equally difficult part of our responsibility is bringing the children back into the real world. In many situations the child has no moral values instilled, and his or her idea of a family is warped. It is necessary to provide these children counseling to deal with any psychological problems that may linger on. You can take a child out of combat, but unless the child is rehabilitated properly, the child will not be able to cope with the things he or she has seen. Other less thought of factors may include drug rehab, as many children are given large amounts of cocaine and other substances to improve their combat skills.
Dealing with the children while very important, is not the only necessary step in correcting this problem. As stated before we must actively help organizations such as UNICEF and the Red Cross. The international community should also work to educate the world on the fact that regulations state that no person under the age of 18 is to be recruited into the military.
While the world as a whole has made some progress, we must accept the fact that there is much work to be done. It is a crime against humanity if we ignore this. The nations that preach ideals such as liberty and freedom should not allow this kind of practice to occur. If we all stand together in one voice, and declare out against this atrocity, it can end. It will not be an easy battle, and it will not be fast, but getting these children out of the military and back into schools is a battle that IS worth the fight.