Child Soldiers in Uganda - 1259 Words

Child Soldiers in Uganda Imagine being snatched from your bed in the middle of the night and forced to commit horrific war crimes at only 7 years old. In Uganda, this sadly isn’t an unusual occurrence. Children and their families live in fear of being captured and made into child soldiers against their will. Led by Joseph Kony, the Lord’s Resistance Army has abducted over 30,000 children in Uganda and forced them to fight in war. These children are forced to become brutal killing machines, and lose touch with their livelihood, morals and ultimately their childhood. A student at MHS should care about the child soldiers in Uganda because children are the future of a country. If children grow up in inhumane conditions and trained to be violent from a young age, they will grow up into antagonistic adults that our generation will have to deal with later on in life. The Lord’s Resistance Army, or the LRA, is Africa’s most violent armed group and also the oldest. Joseph Kony formed the LRA in 1986 in northern Uganda, to fight against the Ugandan Government. At the height of the conflict, about two million people were displaced in northern Uganda. Since the LRA never gained public support, they turned to forcible recruitment to build up their army (â€Å"The Lord’s Resistance Army†). Kony, and the LRA believe that Uganda should be governed and run based on the 10 Commandments. They rely on the application of terror in order to keep their campaign alive. The war in Uganda beingShow MoreRelatedChild Soldiers And Its Effects On Children1642 Words   |  7 Pages The former President of the Uganda People s Congress, Olara Otunnu, viewed the extensive use of child soldiers as â€Å"compelled to become instruments of war, to kill and be killed, child soldiers are forced to give violent expression to the hatreds of adults,à ¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Olara Otunnu, Advocate for Children s Rights†). Otunnu elaborates how children are unable to show fear or any other emotion that defines them as human, because they are forced to follow what their capturers tell them to do. Children in armedRead MoreEssay The Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda and South Sudan1332 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction In the African countries of Uganda and South Sudan, thousands of men, women and children are being brutally murdered and mutilated in their own villages. Children are being kidnapped by the thousands. Women are being brutally raped. Shockingly, the assailants in these heinous crimes are children, armed under the leadership of a military madman named Joseph Kony. Calling themselves the Lord’s Resistance Army, they are considered one of the most vicious terrorist groups in the worldRead MoreThe Issue About Child Soldiers859 Words   |  4 Pagesabused Child soldiers is a serious issue worldwide, there are about 300,000 children as young as nine years old involved in armed conflicts all around the globe today. This problem is most critical in Africa; however children are also used as soldiers in various Asian countries, parts of Latin America, Europe and Middle East. Children are used as child soldiers mostly by non government armed groups for many different reasons. Conditions are usually very harsh for the child soldiers and disciplineRead MoreA Growth Of Human Rights Violations1437 Words   |  6 PagesIn Northern Uganda there has been a growth of Human Rights violations for the last thirty years due to power of Joseph Kony and the LRA. The Lord s Resistance Army started when Joseph Kony took over the Holy Spirit Movement, and founded the LRA. The LRA is an army focused on overthrowing the Ugandan government and replacing it with a government rule using the 10 commandments. The LRA has committed constant Human Rights on the cit izens of Uganda over the last thirty years. The LRA has kidnapped overRead MoreThe Horror of Child Soldiers691 Words   |  3 Pages There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today. They usually range from 14 to 18 but some get pulled in at as young as 11. Child soldiers are used in war because their naive tendencies, poor backgrounds, and capability to be easily intimidated and they used for many different things. 1) How they are used â€Å"Military prefers child soldiers because they last longer†. A child can fight for 20 years before they are released. They are often used for jobs such as cooks suppliers orRead MoreJoseph Cony and The Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda Essay1247 Words   |  5 Pagesaction against Kony because of his strong influence and beliefs in the LRA, the actions he has committed against humanity, and the way he has left survivors scarred. Joseph Kony, born in Odek, Uganda in 1961, is a Ugandan rebel who leads the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a militia that terrorizes northern Uganda and neighboring countries since the late 20th and early 21st century. The LRA is a guerrilla army, which is defined as â€Å"a group of combats such as armed civilians using military tactics includingRead MoreKony 2012: Compassion or Controversy?704 Words   |  3 Pages2012 video was unusual because it was not a funny, diverting meme involving cute pets, funny children, or even Hillary Clinton wearing sunglasses. Instead, it chronicled the abuses of Joseph Kony, a notorious warlord from Uganda who trained and abused children as soldiers (Rash 2012). The 30-minute film, originally posted on YouTube and Vimeo has now circled the world many times over - a call to action to people everywhere to raise their voices against a little-known Ugandan leader named JosephRead MoreChild Of A Soldier For The War1419 Words   |  6 PagesAt th at time they very need people who is younger to be a soldier for the war. Every kid they teach them how to use the gun event they skull. Many nations they had do this to their people who live in that nation s. States it is not much of a problem mostly because here we have child labor laws. Child soldiers are not really a problem in the U.S because of our Labor laws. They have to do this too their child because they are pool, so they need to do this too let their kid get out and find himselfRead MoreThe Role of Socialization of Children in War Essay1315 Words   |  6 PagesFor over 20 years, the Lords Resistance Army has been at war with the government of Uganda, causing a civil war. The Armys Rebel Groups, have attacked small villages, resulting in thousands of innocent deaths, and the abduction of children to fight with the rebels. In order to maintain these organizations, the Rebel Groups are faced with the difficult task of recruiting individuals. With limited available reso urces, the Rebel Groups cannot offer any appealing incentives to their recruits, butRead MoreChild Soldiers Long and Short Term Effects4806 Words   |  20 Pages* Child soldiers gt; * Some facts gt; * Why children join gt; * Voices of young soldiers gt; * Developments gt; * International Standards gt; * DDR gt; * Committee on the Rights of the Child gt; * Government armed forces gt; * Armed groups gt; * Frequently asked questions gt; | Search Site Search Bottom of Form * Site Map Personal tools    Navigation * Child Soldiers * Children in Palestine * Rwandan SOS Child who became Child Soldier