A Decade Of Conflicts And Child Soldiers Sociology Essay

A Decade Of Conflicts And electric razor Soldiers Sociology EssayIn the sometime(prenominal) decade due to deadly affair near the creative activity, nestlingren were a good deal and to a greater extent sacrificed as baby bird soldiers. For the barbarianren the world is now more ferocious and violated place. In the last decade, 2 million fryren were killed due to divergences. to a great extent than 12 million electric razorren were made nationalless, while 6 million chel arn study been injured or disabled. It is approximate that an separate 20 million minorren study been displaced within the boarders of their knowledge countries. At either addicted sentence, pincerren beneath the get on with of 18 age who affirm been exceptionaltyd or encouraged to record up arms as child soldiers is generally in the lay out of 300,000. Each course of instruction 8,000 to 10,000 children amaze the victims of land mines.12. Child soldiers have feature prominently in supranational and internal contest in spick-and-span-fangled years. In one of the most deadly conflicts, children feature most prominently in the solicitudeist campaign of Sri Lanka Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). They were agitateing for an independence tell apart Tamil mono-ethnic state in north eastern Sri Lanka. They utilized both(prenominal) male and female fighters in guerrilla and terrorist attacks against military, political, economic, religious and cultural targets.3. by and by the ethnic riots of Black July in 1983, there was a messinessive migration of politeian to India. The LTTE leadership decided to establish a provision base in India for recruits less than 16 years of age from the civilian who fled to India. Initially the LTTE set them (child soldiers) as Tiger Cubs. Then they received non-military training, most primary educational activity and physical exercises. In 1984, LTTE changed the name of Tiger Cubs and formed new well-disposed unit of measure ment called screw up group . It is nonhing but the child soldier unit of LTTE fighting wing.4. The child fighters were originally a part of the Baby Brigade but later LTTE gradually comprised them with new(prenominal) units to refill the sedate losses. Since April 1995, some 60 percent of LTTE cadres killed in combat were children. Olivichu, the LTTE monthly de bank billation release, supports those trends. A study by a United Kingdom base Sri Lankan researcher Dushy Ranatunge reveals that at least 60 percent of the dead LTTE fighters were on a lower floor(a) 18 years and ar mostly girls and boys age in mingled with 10 to 16.25. At the time of researching on this topic, the authorities of Sri Lanka totally cut across away the LTTE. But there be no of fight make children and child soldiers be in IDP camps and renewal centres .CHAPTER 2 methodologyPREVIEW1. The aim of this presenting on rehabilitation of child soldiers to help desegregate them in to ball club is to study the factors behind child soldiering, why they became as chilled combatant, the role of international community and the role of regime of Sri Lanka on this and how integrate them back to ships company.STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM2. Most of the countries in the world facet this problem due to internal conflicts. When it is studying there ar so galore(postnominal) reasons behind that. Due to non education and poor family back reasonableness may cause child to joint with some terrorist governing as a chilled combatant. In Sri Lanka resent past LTTE has commencen children by force for their terrorist activities.3. In Sri Lanka though war is over there are telephone number of chilled soldiers in IDP camps. Children make obedient and cheep soldiers capability of magisterial terror on civilians and government forces. Child soldiers are forced to fight and are generally illiterate and from poor families. The children survive from combat are often physically injure d and psychologically scared.Some of the factors covered as follows.a Who is the child soldierb Reasons behind child to became as soldiersc Child combatant is a biggest problem in the worldd It is observed that most of the Asian countries face this probleme In Sri Lanka it is considerable numbers of child soldiers butt joint be seen in the IDP campsf UNO and NGOs role in this issueg How to take them in to purchase order as a normal children.I volition alliance take them in to society as a children.J What are the steps that batch be take to rehabilitate them.K Sri Lanka governments role on this issue.THE RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS4. Due to the war children suffered physically and noeticly. As a nation we should take them in to the society identical as other children. So that we should establish good environment for them and Sri Lankan government should have a toilsome national jut for thatMETHOD OF data COLLECTION5. The methodology adopted in gathering data will be as followsExtra cts from child psychology publications.Extracts from newspapers and reports.Extracts from books published on child soldiering.Interviews and questionnaires.Related web sites of the Internet.Guidance and advice of experts on the subject.CHAPTER3THE pip-squeakHOODDEFINITION OF nipper1. According to the 1989, UN CRC, a child means e real human worldnessness below the age of 18 years, unless under the law applicable in their case, the age of maturity is attained earlier. The age of maturity is a mixer, religious and cultural or legal device by which societies acknowledge the change to adulthood and there is no necessary correlation betwixt any of the age levels.32. The idea of the child as a psyche under 18 years of age is widely accepted in international circles, even if a different terminology such(prenominal) as early days or progeny great deal may be a expose ward to describe those in the crucial 15-18 age bracket whose physical, frantic and intellectual maturity is ra pidly developing even as they touch on to face certain(prenominal) legal constraints. Clearly, those under 18, no matter their one-on-one capacities, are generally presumed not to appreciate fully the nature and consequences of their follow through.CHILD HOOD, A POTENTIAL TARGET3. Although the Convention defined as a child in general as anyone below the age of 18 years, most young combatants are between 15 and 18. A majority of these trained child soldiers were boys, but signifi chamberpott numbers of girls are to a fault engaged.4. Though child rights activists are campaigning at international, national and local anesthetic anesthetic level to rise the age to 18, there is no international shaping or mechanism to regulate against guerrilla and terrorist organizations recruiting children to their organizations.BASIC NEEDS OF CHILDREN5. Their radical human considers of survival and growth to their full potential are largely, if not wholly, dependent for fulfilment, especially in their early years on the willingness and ability of adults to recognize and discharge their obligation to protect them.THE CONVENTION ON RIGHTS OF CHILDREN6. Today children around the world suffer abuses in more ways. Child soldiering is one such situation. Children were kidnapped or forcibly recruited to umteen militant organizations to serve as soldiers. They were ill-treated when they were with militant groups. Once they surrender or captured by government forces they were imprisoned in inhuman conditions. Some clock they were im localisee in cells with adults without considering their rights as children. The Convention on the Right of the Child hurl childrens rights on the worlds agenda. It is the most widely confirm treaty in the world. take by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989, the Convention promises children around the world the right to living, liberty, education, and health care.7. The Convention on the Rights of the child emphatic the impo rtance of a happy childhood and it had been described the Rights of the Child very clearly and most comprehensively in its 54 articles guaranteeing for the first time social and economic as well civil and political rights adding new rights never before recognized. It is said that granting a Child the Right to nurture and freedom of expression would amount to allowing him/her as well, to decide on the brio and organization of the family and society.CHAPTER 4CHILD SOLDIERSDEFINITION OF CHILD SOLDIER1. A child soldier is any person under 18 years of age who is a part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to cooks, porters, messengers and anyone accompanying such groups other than family members.4REASONS FOR CHILD TO BECOME A CHILD SOLDIER2. There is a very thin line that separates voluntary from forced recruitment. It is not contingent to know exactly at what age a young person is capable of volunteering in the wa y we accept that of an adult. No one makes a decision in a vacuum and clearly a child can be susceptible to certain types of pressure from certain slew and circumstances beyond their control.3. Although forced recruitment of children is practiced in many countries (Burma, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Angola, Sri Lanka and Sudan), a majority of them are not so much forced.4. Examining different mise en scenes and taking into account the specific put throughs of children will help us to draw a clearer picture of the child soldier in a given conflict. Forced recruitment of children happens because of shortages of adult soldiers, institutionalised discrimination against certain sectors of society, a perceived need to control the population.5. There are many young people voluntarily join armed groups. In attempting to beg off why children join armed groups. We can try to examine the chases5a. foundation factors. These are immediate happening of events, situations or exact rea sons that cause a childs participation such as urgent or emergency several(prenominal) needs or family problems and suggestions and pressure from peers and adults. Their social environment influences childrens subjective spirit of reality and these exert strong pressure on the children.b. Circumstantial factors. These are the complex order of situations or influences existing, occurring in and resulting from the childs significant litigates and relations providing context and history to their involvement and growth. It could be a combination of any of the following experience of neglect and abuse, poor parenting styles and weak family ties, negative experiences in school, etc.c. Contributory factors. These are factors that aggravate the current situation of children and young people in their given localities. These are the social, political, cultural and economic realities in society today such as poverty, social injustice, limited or no access to basic services, militarizatio n of daily life, and structural military unit.6. Children are assailable to military recruitment because of their emotional and physical immaturity. They are easily manipulated and can be drawn into violence that they are too young to push or understand. Technological advances in weaponry and the proliferation of small arms have contributed to the increased use of child soldiers.POVERTY AND FAMILY BACKGROUNG7. Poverty and lack of learning are said to be among key causes that draw hundreds of young boys and girls to took up arms in Sri Lankas North East and many are in all probability to face starvation if they quit the guerrillas.6If a significant number of child soldiers were indeed released this would augur well for the afterlife.8. Poverty is the main reason for join the war. Due to domestic problems especially the financial difficulties, these children were prevented from schooling and were pushed by their own parents to join the LTTE organization. Mostly the children of high society like upper elucidate and upper middle class or middle class are not recruited as child soldiers. Reason was that these families are well educate and guided well these prevailing conditions.TAMIL SOCIO-CULTURAL IDENTITY9. In 1983 riots Tamil as a group were humiliated, the youths took up arms to prevent pure(a) eclipse of the group indistinguishability. Language was the vital element of the Tamil identity. The identity develops from childhood through successive psycho-social stages to culminate in youth.710. For younger girls, who experience the wide spread socio- cultural burdensomeness against their perk up, it is a means of unhorse and liberation. In many youngsters political repression, socio economic deprivation, frustration in life and fear of enemy has become prime motives if not compulsions for connecter the militants. some other potential factor has been the oppressive Tamil-Hindu society where lower castes were suppressed by the so-called higher castes. For many from the lower castes joining the militants become a way out of this oppressive system.VIOLENCE11 Laws such as the prevention of Terrorist Act and the Emergency Regulation allow for detention for commodious periods with out judicial process and sometimes violent act against such detainees. For example Bindunuwewa massacre. The great carry on of this kind of structural violence and oppression is on the younger generation. These conditions create a sense of fear and despair12. Recruitment to the LTTE has remained largely voluntarily earlier. But the majority recruited may be children. LTTE denied that they used child soldiers. Likewise child recruitment by the LTTE was to become institutionalised after 1990. Older men were no longer joining.8In 1987 the LTTE banned other Tamil militant groups and started using young boys and girls as fighters.IMPACT OF CHILD SOLDIERING TOWARDS CHILDREN13. War has be fallen a grave impact on a child development on attitudes, beliefs relatio nships with his countrymen and society, moral ethics and values and the mental framework for understanding society and understanding his own self and life itself. Children represent the prospective society in which these conflicts are waged but what will be the future and what can be anticipate from these nations where the horizon is masked by brutality and the youths of future generation are robbed of their golden childhoodDIRECT IMPACT14. remainder and injury.a. Child soldiers are being used in more than mental capacityinal countries around the world. Children forced to take part in atrocities were often given medicines to overcome their fear or reluctance to fight. Because of their immaturity and lack of experience, child soldiers suffer higher casualties than their adult foreknowparts. Even after the conflict is over, they may be left physically disabled915. Human right abuse.Sri Lanka has traditionally high level of education and training provided for children. But due to the past conflict many displaced children lose key identity document that is their feature certificate. Since birth certificate is an important document in Sri Lanka, displaced children are otiose to gain full access to education. Not even that, they will not able to apply to all important national identity card which mustiness be present at every check points and need for day to day work.16. Displacement.a. Child soldiering and displacement are so integrally related. It demonstrates that it is extremely difficult to separate the impact of conflicts on children from the impact of small arms. Measures to ameliorate one situation often improve the other.b. power child soldiers are vulnerable to displacement. They cannot simply return to their families and communities, and some families may reject them due to crimes committed and instead they become internally displaced person, refugee or seekers.INDIRECT IMPACT17. Psychological trauma.a. Children appeared to be much more capab le of retuning to normal after stress. But in the long term, when the armed conflicts continues, when no safe and secure not available for children, they may be put under enormous strain. Adults may not easily recognize the semipermanent responses of children to death, destruction and disruption, as children cannot verbally express their feeling and experiences. The way child react to trauma will depend on his/her age. The response as well as is influenced by the nature of the trauma. Some common traumatic experiences are time interval anxiety, emotional disorders, sleep disturbances, unable to express and release their emotions verbally or otherwise, behaviour changes etc.10Anti social or psychopathic personalities are characterized by a conspicuous lack of conscience and human sympathy, rejection of social norms, emotional coldness, poor relationship, meaninglessness, cruel, callous and aggressive behaviour and poor itch control. Delinquents, aggressive and psychopathic persona lities may do well in a military set up where their energies and excess aggression can be diverted to national ends and their confinements to the Army proves to be a protection for society.d. Children complained of headaches, dizziness, fainting spells or chest pains with out a few days or months of joining the military movement. They were found to have repressed, separation anxiety for their parents and home or difficulty in adjusting to the rigorous training and militant life.e. The traumatic loss of family members, the experiences of cruelty, atrocity or barbaric behaviour, rarely leave in sight scars but the lay outs are profound. Children may withdrew from contract, some become obsess with violence or live on feelings of guilt or fantasies of avenge and become preoccupied with their role in past events.18. Insecurity.a. Child soldiers are basically displaced. Displacement for these children means insecurity and lack of access to choice, resources and opportunities. As chil d soldiers who cannot simply go home, it means risk of death, disability and solid psychological trauma.b. The social, psychological, moral and emotional deprivation they suffer, the persistent fear of loosing or the actual loss of parents are as damaging to childhood as being deprived of regimen, water and health care. They may have no idea that there could be better future. So many child soldiers have grown into adulthood without having known their family for long periods.19. Culture of violence.a. moving picture of children during their formative years to insecurity, hopelessness, and violent deaths of loved ones as well as other cruel and aggressive acts and to the full paraphernalia of war with its instruments of destruction will permanently influence their development.b. So the delinquency has been found to be a common complication of exposure to war conditions. It is similarly in all likelihood that repeated exposure to violence, a family life ruled by terror and frequen t disruption and a society in a continuous state of disequilibrium, where acceptance and praise to given to act of violence and acknowledgment to the instruments of war teaches the child quickly the ways of violence20. Lost opportunities.a. The carriage of these widespread sophisticated weapons can have significant effect on future opportunities for children. The continued presence of these weapons in post conflict societies not only undermines a countrys ability to sustain peace but alike represents a major stumbling block to sustainable human development. Children are naughtily affected by the lack of sustainable developments.b. Spread of two-decade conflict has caused much(prenominal) suffering to millions of children caught up in armed conflict, not only during the conflict but also for reduction there after. The presence, proliferation and misuse of small weapons and descend weapons have a devastating impact on children in conflict and post conflict societies. Cheap, easy to use and widely available these weapons open fire many contemporary conflicts and prolong, spread and deeper the consequences of conflictEFFECTS OF CHILD join TOWARDS THE SOCIETY21. The war has affected the functioning of the family unit in many ways. From the loss of one or both parents, separations concomitantly the children may it be Sinhalese or Tamil. Our Sri Lankan society is still based on the family. As such, the family tie is destroyed as a result of their child members being used in combat. Therefore, the society with dispersed families is destroyed to a greater extent.22. The children from their young peer groups are separated by the war. This is what actually expected by the LTTE. Their parents are desolate and helpless and other family members are apt(p) to ill treatment by the security forces. These children are being taught to follow only the LTTE leaders and to ignore the normal law of the country. After joining the organization they were motivated in such a m anner that they were animated to take revenge from the Sri Lankan forces and the Sinhalese people in the South. Most of them did not have any idea near so called independent Tamil state before they joined the organization. But after some times when they were captured only they had realized and understood the real Sinhala soldier and its cordial reception and the importance of peace.23. These children at the beginning, although they join the organization with willingness, face serious mental retardation because they lack the parental love and affection. There is no kind treatment or love from the LTTE organization even they fall queasy. They are not treated well but are ill cared. such treatment has affected the childs mind very badly.24. Before this LTTE came into being, family setup, the connection between the parents and their children was so much good and it has affected the society very favourably. This has rewarded the society with very decent children. As such small child ren being taken out of the families, whether forcibly or volitionally, have directly affected the families as well aCHAPTER 5ANALYSIS1. Mainly the child soldiers are from the Tamil community, especially from the lower castes of oppressed Hindu Tamils. Initially Tamil youths joined the LTTE organization. However, in time the older youths escaped and migrated. Older men were no longer joining. Then the LTTE started using children and women as fighters recruiting them forcibly and willingly after motivated.2. LTTE organization was one of the most dangerous front line in guerrilla organization in the world. They select children from the poor families, mickle trodden broken families, families of illiterate parents, and from the families of fallen heroes and families of poverty ridden and the children who are orphaned having scattered their elders and relatives. LTTE was fully aware that they are violating child rights but continue to pervert telling that they come to them seeking re cruitment. At the some time the LTTE organization terrorized the Tamil community and has laid down an unwritten law to the effect that every family must contribute a child of either sex to the organization.113. Children separated from their families become mentally disabled or permanently sick and deprived of earning, food shelter and of family ties and education. Some of them have become drug addicted, violent and criminals. They have become a burden to themselves and to the Tamil society, to the consentient country and to the whole world. On the other hand, their old parents neglected and unaffectionate too have become another burden to society along with them.4. War is the main reason for such a situation. The prime indebtedness of the government, NGOs and the UN is to stop as well as evade children joining the war. set off the violation of childrens rights and as well as a proper and counterbalance rehabilitation while justificationing the childrens rights.5. At rehabilita tion camps in Sri Lanka more than snow former Tamil Tiger child soldiers are undergoing a year long rehabilitation course. There are nearly 300 child soldiers are integrate them in to society. Although the camp is surrounded by prickly wire and guarded by the Army, the inmates say the atmosphere inside is more like hostel. Many of them says that the LTTE took them by force.12CHAPTER 6RECOMMENDATIONS1. Education and awareness create are key elements in changing the reintegration of youth into post conflict societies and cultures of violence. Hence, the Government must provide effective programmes that provide peaceful alternatives to counter conflict, violence and crime and eliminate the effects of armed struggle on the psycho-social development of children and their communities.2. As such the authorities must take action to create secure conditions within which children can be educated and interact socially. The government must spare sufficient amount of money for the development of schools, rebuilding of schools, public libraries, health care facilities, publication of books,and recreational areas as an incentive to develop community peace essential for the well being of children.3. Government must bring forward an accepted economic plan viable and effective, giving war affected children an opportunity to rehabilitate, to have shelter, food and education by coordinating NGOs, agencies and other donor approaches under a rights based frame-work implimented in order to protect children in futuere conflict.4. Special help should be paid by the government to eliminate in future recruitment of children into armed forces and groups by achieving universal ratification and full slaying of the optional Protocol to the Convention on the rights of the child on the involvment of children in armed conflict without reservation and declaration of 18 as the negligible age for voluntary recruitments.5. also the Government should legalize the using of children under 18 ye ars in armed conflict as a criminal offence, and must grant refugee status to children under 18 years.6. Also provide primary health care and rehabilitative care of children with sound health conditions and specially the psychological care and facilitate the fullest possible social integration.7. The Government should provide emergency relief to rehabilitate the agriculture neckcloth and fisheries and to re-employ or to employ them on other income generating enterprise to enhance local capacities to improve house hold security on a self-directed and sustainable basis in the North and East.8. Also the Government must take steps to start programmes dedicated to family unification for former child soldiers.9. Prohibiting of the import of arms to groups that use child soldiers as well as eliminating economical assistance to the same should be started by the Government.11. Provide special care and tutelage considering the impact of conflicts of children, being victims of the conflict, on girls in particular the specific abuses perpetrated against them, and must take actions immediately to protect the rights of children and the rights of women.12. The government must facilitate all requirements to eliminate HIV/AIDS infection and other sexually transmitted diseases spread through rape and sexual violence and against girls with children born from rape.13. Special attention must be taken by the Government to provide successful rehabilitation through social and medical checkup support and counseling, as girls and boys fulfill different roles within the armed groups and also a gender analysis must be included essentially because the girls represent the reproductive force of a damaged community.14. Government and civil organizations should prioritize protection of unaccompanied or separated girls, for example, organizing special try-on and safeguards for such female children and others at particular risk of recruitment.15. The Government should procure universal bi rth registration to have everyone a Birth documentation and in order to prevent recruitment under 18 by default.16. The Government must ensure speedy registration procedures at Camps and Settlements.18. recognise effort to trace and reconcile former child soldiers with their families, using semipermanent institutional care only as a last resort.19. The Government must take early action to restrict civilian self-will of military assault-weapons and include restrictions on the age of the user with a lower limit age required.20. The Government should use the Media to give the real picture to the mass by exhibiting how and why these children join the war and by using the electronic media the State must systematically dismantle the structures of discrimination and violence against these young human beings and the Tamil minority, as well.21 Evan after children leave the rehabilitation center and return to their families should follow the progress of their normal life. Should help them to turn around up their missed schooling and should give them a vocational training with the support of NGOs.CONCLUSION1. The ideological experiment of motivating children as combatants has been a highly successful one. The LTTE has been able to enhance its performance in combat by developing child units, a sizable cadre of the Baby Brigade, were consisting of children in the age group of 7-15 in both sexes. Most of them were recruited not willingly, but being motivated yet not knowing anything of a Separate State. Their performances were high..2. The United Nation Organization is the most powerful Organization, which can fund for rehabilitation program. It is only the UNO, which can take stern action against Terrorist organizations for employing children in war. However, Prabakaran has promised when they were fighting to Mr. Olara Otunu, which they will never employ children in war combats in future, they broke the promise in no time, but it seems that UNO has not taken proper ac tion far against this incident. Fact is that, though these NGOs, about 82 in number, talk about the rights of the children does nothing about their rights. Their state is to highlight internationally about the injustice done by the terrorist and cancel such happenings in future. The violations of childrens rights have to be enlightened and they must safeguard the childrens rights as well. A UN Special Envoy Maj Gen Patrick Camert had a visit to Sri Lanka to evaluate the situation of children affected by the conflict .He paid more attention on re-inte