Child Soldiers: A Difficult Concept

I find it hard work getting to grips with scenarios such as child soldiers, especially living in an area of non-violence. I'm sure child soldiers themselves find it hard to understand their own situations.

After being told about a situation I always find myself asking questions such as: Why are there child soldiers involved in violent conflict? Why isn't it being stopped? How many child soldiers are there? Where does it happen?

It is estimated that some 300,000 children - boys and girls under the age of 18 - are today involved in more than 30 conflicts worldwide. Children are used as combatants, messengers, porters and cooks and for forced sexual services. Some are abducted or forcibly recruited, others are driven to join by poverty, abuse and discrimination, or to seek revenge for violence enacted against them or their families. Unicef

Why is this allowed to happen?

There are measures in place to stop the use or children in warfare yet they are extremely difficult to regulate. It is illegal in most countries to allow armed forces to use child soldiers but not all countries follow these international laws. One of the main problems with international law is that it is not at all recognized by non-state armed groups eg. the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.

Using child soldiers is actually encouraged by many groups in conflict. As horrific as it may be, there are benefits to using child soldiers above adult combatants and until the benefits to an army of using child soldiers are outweighed by the negative effects such as international pressure, it will continue to happen.

Why are children used as soldiers?

• they can be trained easily either by force, brainwashing, fear or all three
• they can be physically or mentally controlled more easily than adult soldiers
• they cost less to feed
• they can be fiercely loyal
• they don't realize the potential dangers and abuses they face
  

Have a look at UNICEF's user friendly website for more info and some opinions from children around the world:

http://www.unicef.org/voy/explore/sowc/explore_1654.html

CHILD SOLDIERS

You are woken up from your family home by a stranger handing you a gun or machete with instructions to kill your parents. Kidnapped from your home and taken to a rebel army where you now have strict orders to fight and kill or you will be killed. A thought perhaps too horrifying to have to think about? To date, 30,000 children as young as 5 have been kidnapped under similar conditions by the Lords Resistance Army in Northern Uganda. Global Tribe is Launching the Name Campaign this week! See 'Whats new' to find out more about the campaign. How many armies in the world involve children? A critical debate about child soldiers can be read here http://www.forward.com/articles/3128

Hi!

Hi there! I'm GlobalTribe Network's newest blogger.

I'd like to introduce myself as Linz, a student reading Architecture at Oxford Brookes University, UK. I'm in my 6^th year and now specialising in Humanitarianism, Human Rights and Development Practice - something of a mouthful but basically it's about understanding people, particularly those who are vulnerable: What makes them vulnerable? What can be done to stop them being so vulnerable? And how can we play a role?

I often get asked the question 'What do Human Rights have to do with Architecture?' And my common reply is 'It's my soul and my career all rolled into one: Anyone can be a human rights activist from a nurse to a lawyer to a student to an architect. Activism isn't just about protest marches and chaining yourself to trees, some of the most powerful activism takes place in offices, schools and even your own bedroom....!

I grew up in Nairobi, Kenya and now split my time between studying in England and seeing my family in Nairobi. Before starting uni I worked as an Environmental Volunteer in Nepal, building community toilets and smokeless stoves in a rural community in the Mt. Everest region.

During my studies I spent a year travelling overland with three friends from London through Europe, the Middle East and the length of Africa. We traversed 35 countries, visited 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, crossed 5 deserts and had 35 flat tyres, 5 of those all on the same day!

At the moment I'm designing a small community centre to be built in a deprived area of Oxford. I'm working with a friend and together we have just held a workshop to hear what members of the community want and need. The workshop was great fun and involved people of all ages, lots of colourful suggestion boards and plenty of stickers. It's great spending time with a community group that is beginning to realise architecture can be fun and involves everyone.

Just a bit of food for thought: have a look at this huge bench built in Barcelona by an architect called Antoni Gaudi. He really believed in community architecture and designing places where people could spend time with each other. The whole bench is covered in ceramic tiles and is really comfy to sit on. It is built as part of a huge public park high up on a hill in Barcelona with beautiful views over the city so people go there to read, sit, chat or just eat their lunch.

So that's me! It's great to be a member of GlobalTribe Network and I'm really looking forward to sharing some of my thoughts and experiences as the newest member to the blog.

It's great to be here!

Kids Oxford and Capoeira

Ok, so I promised to report from London I know...but Oxford came into focus this weekend when I traveled up to visit the wonderful capoeira group ABOLICAO. As many of you know the incredible Brazilian dance/martial art which involves singing, community spirit and ofcourse the game itself is becoming bigger by the minute in the West. I can see why...almost every aspect of it makes the individual feel alive with energy!
The group Abolicao in Oxford is has taken Capeoira that one step further and is using it as a tool to aid socially excluded and under priviledged children around the world! It's a fantastic and powerful trust which is changing lives. Have a browse through the webiste - www.abolicaotrust.org and try capoeira out....go on...you'll love it!

Gardens of Glass

" Be gentle with the earth"
(Dalai Lama)

I travelled to Kew Gardens in London to see the famous glass artist Chihuly's exhibition.
A lake filled with swan sized colourfilled glass bubbles floated amongst the ducks whilst hundreds of elegant purple tubes imitated the cactus's. The work, a message to show us the beauty and fragility of the nature it copies! The time now is crucial, our earth is crying and as delicate and potentially shattering as Chihuly's glass. Take a peek, go see and be gentle: www.rbgkew.org.uk/chihuly/