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CHILDREN IN CONFLICT Primary Resource OnePage 1 of 3

Objectives

To better understand the phenomenon of child soldiers

To understand that choices of action affect theindividual and others

To be able to know how childrens rights havebeen violated

Child soldiers

There are an estimated 300,000 child soldiers all over the world, activein at least thirty countries. Some are as young as eight.

The problem is most critical in Africa and Asia, though children arealso used as combatants by governments and armed groups in manycountries in the Americas, Europe and Middle East. When a village orcommunity is attacked, the surviving children are often taken away totraining camps. They are told that those who try to escape or disobey

the rules will be killed.

While some children are recruited forcibly, others are driven into armedforces by poverty, alienation and discrimination. Many children joinarmed groups because of their own experience of abuse at the hands of state authorities.

Both governments and armed groups use children because theyare easier to condition into fearless killing and unthinking obedience.Sometimes, children are supplied with drugs and alcohol.

Learning outcomes

Once pupils have completed the activities:

all should begin to understand the plight of child soldiers

most should understand some of the reasons why childrenbecome soldiers

some should understand how the childs rights have been infringed.

I WANTED TO FIGHT THEWAY THEY DID IN THE MOVIES.Ex Burmese child soldier

Lesson sequence

Show the pupils a picture of a child soldier (picture discussion sheetor chosen from the picture gallery). Look at the picture and answer thequestions. Hand out the activity sheet.

Possible questions for discussion

What do you think of this picture?

Why does a child become a soldier?

What would it be like to be a child soldier?

How might a child soldier behave differently from an adult soldier?

Is the treatment of these children unfair? Why?

Discuss what might happen to these children once they stop beingsoldiers. Where can they go and what can they do?

Extension activities

Make up a drama around the life of a child soldier. Include theircapture, their training and living conditions.

Go through a selection of newspapers and cut out anypictures that show armed conicts currently taking place around theworld. How might children be used as soldiers in such conicts?

Using the internet, investigate how different organisations areattempting to stop the use of child soldiers. e.g. the ICRC (InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross), UNICEF, Amnesty, Human Rights Watch.

Invite someone from an aid organisation to talk about their role andhow they are working to stop the use of child soldiers.

Vocabulary

Conict, war, resistance, rights, fairness, abduction, ghter, soldier,combatant, fear, hope.

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CHILDREN IN CONFLICT Primary Resource One > Picture discussion sheetPage 2 of 3

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CHILDREN IN CONFLICT Primary Resource One > Activity sheetPage 3 of 3

I JUST WANT TO GO HOM AND BE WITH MY FAMIL

Child soldier from Africa

Child soldiers

Look at the picture above. Now answer these questions:

1. How old are these children?

2. How might they have become soldiers?

3. What do you think they might have been asked to do?

4. What could have happened to their parents and family?

5. Why might they be frightened?

6. Why are these children often unable to return to their home?

7. What kind of work activities might they have to carry out?

8. What could happen to a child soldier once the ghting has nished?

Now write a story describing a day in the li fe of a child soldier.

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