A child soldier is any person under 18 years of age who is part of an armed force. There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today. When a child is forced to become a child soldier, human rights are abused and denied, such as:
Children may be kidnapped from their parents and forced to fight in the military. This is an abuse of their right not to be taken from their parents against their will.
A child soldier may suffer degrading treatment, punishment, physical and mental torture at the hands of another. This is a human rights abuse as everyone has the right not to be tortured.
If children are forced to participate in military action they cannot attend school. This is an abuse of their right to an education, which is an abuse of their right to free education.
If the child is injured as a result of the conflict they are unlikely to receive an adequate standard of health care. This is a human rights abuse as children have the right to health care.
When children are in a conflict zone they may be denied basic essentials like food and water. This is a human rights abuse as children have the right to an adequate standard of living.
Check out the CCEA GCSE Learning for Life and Work Second Edition Textbook to find out more or check out: My Revision Notes: CCEA GCSE Learning for Life and Work: Second Edition
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