Proposal

Emily Whyte 

Candace Wiley

English 103

25 February 2009

Proposal

            The issue of child soldiers is something that most people have heard about, but don’t have very much understanding about. In various countries around the world, children are taken from their home and have guns put into their hands. They are brought into rebel armies and are forced to kill. These children endure horrible tragedies that even some adults would not be able to recover from.

            What makes the issue of child soldiers so difficult is that children cannot simply be taken out of the armies and returned to their homes. Often, parents sold the children to the armies. Other times the children themselves wanted to go to secure food and clothing for themselves. Children taken from the armed forces often do not know what to do with themselves; they have been in the army for so long they don’t know how to adapt to any other lifestyle.

Sources

To gain a better understanding of what children endure, I plan to use a memoir entitled A Long Way Gone that describes exactly what a particular young boy experienced as a child soldier. I will also use a book called Power and Principle that discusses the advancement of human rights. 

There are a large number of non-government and international organizations that dedicate themselves to human rights, children's rights, and ending conflicts such as the one in Darfur. Organizations such as UNICEF, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) all work to educate the public on the issue of child soldiers and as well as work in the field to help the children. These organizations have first hand experience in dealing with such issues and therefore have a solid understanding of what methods do and do not work when it comes to working with former child soldiers. 

Introduction (Thesis in bold) 

All around the world, especially in lesser-developed nations, children are recruited and kidnapped to be used in armed conflicts. The reasons are vast from the need to fill quotas in rebel forces to children not having enough food in their homes. Child soldiers are exploited in the worst possible ways and made to perform tasks that are beyond the maturity level of the young adults. Children are robbed in multiple ways, of their childhood, their families, their homelands, and their innocence. Despite numerous organizations around the globe working every day in places such as DR Congo and Uganda to help children affected by the warfare, the reintegration process is complex and demanding for children who have experienced such traumatic events in their short lifetime. The sources of trauma are multiple and complex, and the solution and path to recovery will be a long one. 

Conclusion

The issue of child soldiers is as deep and complex as the human mind that is torn apart by those who take young children. The situation has deepened over multiple generations, so even though this disturbing issue cannot be solved in a day, there is a solution to the problem of child soldiers. This is not something the children have brought upon themselves. They should not be punished for the evil ways of the world around them. With continued support from non-government organization such as UNICEF, Amnesty International, and The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, as well as everyday citizens, the vicious cycle can be ended. The efforts of the organization involved should be recognized and renewed with more efficient resources, energy, and fervor. Though the issue in itself is dismal, in the words of the Invisible Children Campaign, "every war has an end." With the dedication of the global community, the victims can be redeemed of their atrocious past. 

Main Points 

• What a child soldier is 
• who-what types of children
• where-examples of countries
• why-why children are taken

• what is being done
• international criminal court
• Protocol on the rights of the child
• UNICEF, etc.

• why the reintegration in to society is so difficult 
• regional practices 
• not enough transparency in international organizations