Effects > Adults > Children

In 2003, the United Nations publicly named Asian countries that participated in recruiting child soldiers into their wars. However, in 2004, they discovered that there are still at least 100,000 Asian children who are as young as eight forced to fight for government armies. Child soldiers have become a huge problem in Asia, where up to 70,000 soldiers are under the age of 18. They are often brutally used as sex slaves, laborers, spies, messengers or simply holding weapons into the battle field. These children are often abducted and forced into a camp where they are taught how to fight and become murderers.

Sri Lanka is one of Asia’s leading conflict zone in which children make up much of the soldiers. In 2002, they were asked to demobilize children but only 202 were released. It is estimated that there were a total of 709 under aged soldiers, even though the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant organization on Sri Lanka, promised not to recruit anyone under the age of 18.

The UN came up with an agreement to stop the abduction and recruitment of child soldiers all over the world but only 67 countries world wide approved. Three of these 67 countries were in Asia, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Thus, nothing was able to be legally enforced due to the limited amount of support. The UN Security Council, which has the primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security, includes the United States as one of the five permanent members; however, even they have not yet signed the convention or procedure of the proposal. The United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia are the other four members that have authorized the convention but have not come to a consensus on the issue.

Source: Boyd, Alan. "Losing Battle to Rescue Child Soldiers ." Asia Times 30 January 2004 21 July 2006 <http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/sanction/gensanc/2004/0130losing.htm>.