Child Soldiers

One of the group presentations that stood out the most to me was the presentation on child soldiers. This group immediately grabbed my attention by showing the class a video introducing what a child soldier was, and showing real footage of the faces behind the violent acts committed by child soldier. A child soldier is a child taken away from their home and family and forced to join a militant group for various purposes including lookouts, cooks, slaves, sexual objects, army men, etc. Child soldiers are most frequent in Africa. These children are often brainwashed into believing that they are serving a purpose for the greater good, or sometimes are scared into believing that if they try to run away or go against orders, their familys will be killed or they themselves. Most child soldiers are young boys. To protect their children from being captured by the militia, many families would hide their children in huts and small villages to ensure their safety. The group also provided a first hand account from a rescued child soldier, who described the ordeal as traumatizing and demoralizing. The group then began a discussion of what we can do to help stop this crisis, like donating to funds such as UNICEF and child-soldiers.org. They also gave a list of celebrity names who frequently donate to try and help stop the crisis. These people include celebrities such as actors Leonardo Di Caprio, George Clooney, and Nicholas Cage. Overall, I thought the presentation by the group was excellent and it really touched my heart. In the future, I definitely plan to help educate others about this child soldier crisis and i will certainly donate to organizations dedicated to improving this problem.