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Afganistan Child Soldiers VS. Colombian Child soldiers

http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=24&ReportId=669...

Standing at a security checkpoint dressed in a battered combat jacket and leaking boots, Zaralam said he had joined the "army" because he had to earn some money for his family. "It's tough working day and night, but I earn 2,000 afghanis [US $40] a month and get some food too," the 14-year old military policeman told IRIN in the Daman district of the southern city of Kandahar.

Zaralam is one of thousands of children in Afghanistan who, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), gain an income or other material support as members of armed groups. A field assessment conducted by UNICEF earlier this year throughout Afghanistan indicated that there were at least 8,000 children currently under arms. Many remain in the pay of regional warlords, who still dominate Afghan life outside the capital, Kabul.

The ousted Taliban, the US-backed Northern Alliance (NA) and other armed factions have all been accused of using child soldiers as young as 14, according to rights groups. The reasons are obvious: children are cheaper to employ, slow to question authority and often quick to prove themselves in Afghanistan's gun-dominated macho society. Some are lured into armed factions by promises of education and proper jobs. Most are carrying guns simply for lack of any viable alternative.

By mariacvetanoski on Oct 17, 2009, 17:49 in Politics & the war.

mariacvetanoski says on Oct 17, 2009, 17:51:

http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/colombia0903/4.htm#_Toc05

Child Combatants with the FARC-EP
The FARC-EP shows no leniency to children because of their age, assigning children the same duties as adults. Those who break minor disciplinary rules are sent off to dig trenches or latrines, clear forest, cut and carry firewood, or do kitchen duties. If they lose a weapon, they may be forced to enter combat without one until they are able to recover a replacement from the enemy. To deal with serious breaches, a "war council" is held. Combatants hear the charges and the defence. A death sentence may be passed by a show of hands.

Children who desert are often shot, especially if they take their weapons with them. The same fate awaits suspected informers, infiltrators, or children who fall asleep on guard duty. The commander handpicks a group to carry out the sentence. The child, hands tied by nylon cord, is taken beyond the camp's perimeter and made to wait while the squad digs a grave.

Several children told Human Rights Watch that they had been ordered to carry out an execution of another child. Some said they had been selected deliberately because the victim was a friend. After the execution, usually by revolver shot, the body may be gutted before it is buried. The dead child's family is rarely, if ever, notified.

Children are also called upon to execute captured enemies. Several former FARC-EP child combatants described in detail to Human Rights Watch how guerrillas tortured captive paramilitaries by pushing needles under their nails, severing fingers and arms, and cutting their faces. Several children told us that their commanders made them watch these gruesome spectacles.

Save the street children of Colombia Now!!

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mariacvetanoski says on Oct 17, 2009, 17:51:

I escaped one day during the day. I had left all my weapons behind. I was on guard duty and I snuck away. They caught me after an hour. The militia recognized me, even though I had changed into civilian clothes. I cried when they caught me. I begged them to let me go. They chained me up with a metal chain. I couldn't move my arms. At the war council, I wasn't allowed to talk. But luckily, they voted not to kill me. Instead, they made me dig twenty meters of trenches, make twenty trips to get wood, and ordered me tied to a pole for two weeks. I had to give a talk in front of everyone explaining why I had tried to desert, why I had made this mistake.

Guerrilla units are from one-quarter to nearly one-half female, and may include girls as young as eight.

Save the street children of Colombia Now!!

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Bill Turley (Moderator) (Trustee board) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 17, 2009, 18:33:

This is certainly horrible Maria

Mr. Bill Somondoco

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babygirl says on Oct 17, 2009, 19:48:

That's an understatement Bill. My GOD. It's so disgusting it's unbelievable.

Best quote of the week... "should I be taking this pill with wine?" Canadian Girls Kick Ass!

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mariacvetanoski says on Oct 18, 2009, 11:35:

This is why we need to "HELP" the children of COLOMBIA or NO ONE ELSE WILL...

Save the street children of Colombia Now!!

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