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The children of war-torn countries actually fighting the war is certainly not a new phenomena. The mass graves discovered in Kosovo at the conclusion of that civil conflict are a testimony to the overall brutality of war, thrust upon men, women and children alike. It's not unreasonable to assume that children also ended up participating in much the fighting. During the bloody Iraq-Iran War of the 80's, Iran is reputed to have sent children through Iraqi minefields in order to clear them ahead of advances by Revolutionary Guards. The lives of the unskilled, ill-trained children were weighed against the lives of the highly trained, elite Revolutionary Guards, and found expendable. In fact, from the first time marauders descended upon a peaceful village, raping, pillaging and killing, children have likely been thrust into the role of child soldiers. However, the potential global consequences are probably unparalleled in modern history. Thanks to the ease of international travel, the same teen soldier calmly cutting the hands off a villager today can be robbing you of your "blood diamonds" tomorrow. Is that, perhaps, overly dramatic or is it a real cause for concern?

It is doubtful in even the most desperate circumstances that any parent would easily cast their 8-year old son as front-line soldier. The problem: it is not the parents doing the casting. And this issue of child conscription did not just "suddenly appear" overnight. One recent example of the pervasive practice involves a civilian auxiliary organization in Iran called the Basij. The Basij were responsible for the human wave attacks against Iraqi positions as well as the religious conscription of teenagers to be used in them. However, sending the children into minefields created carnage of such magnitude, even the Basij were compelled to change their practices. Disillusioned with pieces of bodies, charred flesh and bits of bone that remained after contact with a mine, the Basiji changed their tactics. As reported in the Iranian newspaper, The Ettelaat: "Before entering the minefields, the children wrap themselves in blankets and they roll on the ground, so that their body parts stay together after the explosion of the mines and one can carry them to the graves." As we tackle the same concept more than 20 years later and wax poetic about the barbaric practice of child conscription, this example reminds us of where the rubber really meets the road, and how long the drive has been.

But let

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