Political+Impact-CS

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“Not only is the US willing to prosecute former child soldiers as war criminals, it will continue to spend taxpayer money to put weapons into the hands of children” (Becker).

The U.S. previously had a law enabling them to prosecute child soldier recruiters entering the U.S. and to withhold military assistance from governments that use child soldiers (Becker). The Obama administration has decided to aid Sudan and The Democratic Republic of the Congo, even though they use child soldiers, which goes against the Child Soldiers Prevention Act. Even though cutting off foreign aid is said to do more harm than good, the Obama administration has pushed forward with this decision.

Sudan's Armed Forces Act inquired that, "Every citizen shall defend the country and respond to the call for national defense and national service" ("Child Soldiers.") According to this statement, the minimum age for recruitment is 18, and they criminalized the recruitment of children. This had not reached the National Assembly as of June 2007. Allegations arose aganist the SAF, saying that soldiers under the age of 18 were recruited. These allegations were denied by the SAF. They saw that children from armed groups were transferred during the unification process ("Children Soldiers"). Many children were intergrated into the SAF, many of them were under the age of 18.

Despite peace deals in southern and western Sudan, government and rebel forces are still using child soldiers. The rebel groups and even the government armies are accused of sexually abusing, abducting, and killing children (BBC).

"This responsibility of the government must be stressed, particularly in the present context of shifting alliances and arrangements in the Sudan," says a report to the United Nations Security council (BBC).

1 in 10 child soldiers are found in the DRC. That's 30,000 children (Child Soldiers).

15-30% of newly recruited soldiers in the DRC are under 18. The government has consistently recruited child soldiers since 2002 (Child Soldiers). The Child Protection Code of the DRC, was awaiting approvement of parliament. This was to prohibit children, under the age of 18, to engage in combat. Many children were used in all parties for combat, many girls were used as sex slaves. Unfortunately, reports in 2007 said many of the children were being used as guards and complained about the living situation under the FADRC.

There are also girl soldiers. Many of the girls were subjected to rape and other sexual violence ("Facts and Figures"). Up to 3,000 girls, in DRC, were demobilized through the DDR process. This ended on November in 2004.

The DRC has ratified a number of treaties, which help protect the rights of children. In 2001, they ratified UN Security Council Resolution 1314, which called for an end to the recruitment of child soldiers. Many other countries are getting involved to put an end to using child soldiers. There are different organizations like Save the Children who try to rescue children from fighting in wars. There is also Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. They also are trying to stop the use of child soldiers and to promote their rehabilitation. There is also Red Hand Day, which is a day that is used to show awareness of child soldiers all over the world. The symbol for this day is a red hand, which is used to show that people and organizations say no to the use of child soldiers.