Jacob


 * __Civil War__ **
 * -When Revolutionary United Front attempted to overthrow the government. **
 * -Similar to in the Congo the RUF took control of Diamond mines. **
 * -In 1997 The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council joined the RUF to take over the government in freetown. **
 * -There were political disputes that included Basically a weak government. **
 * -The was also a resource dispute. Whoever controlled the diamonds controlled the weapons. **


 * __Child Soldiers__ **
 * -They are recruited and trained by the army or rebel groups. **
 * -They are literally brainwashed to fight and kill whatever they are told to. **
 * - Some do enlist voluntarily because they it as there is no other choice. **
 * -Girls are sexually abused. **
 * -They are placed in the front lines, used as servants or slaves, or are messengers. **
 * -Abducted from streets school or home. **
 * -They are even used to clear landmines. **
 * -As they grow into teens they use drugs to help them kill and continue killing. **
 * -Drugs like weed. Cocain, and brown brown a mixture. Also painkillers to help during a fight. **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Ishmeal Beah **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Ishmeal is from Sierra Leone, a place where a civil war had broken out and child soldiers were openly used by both Government and Rebel armies. The RUF wanted to take control of the government seeing that it was weak and there was much political corruption. There is also much fight over mineral mines like diamonds similar to the conflict in the Congo.


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 3. Ishmeal was a child soldier during the peak of the civil war. He was driven from his home in an attack by the rebels. Him and his brothers wandered through the jungle for months upon years. They search for food and a safe haven. At this time all of them are only around the age of 12-13. Ishmeal and his brother Junior are eventually captured by the government army and transformed into killing machines. Doing drugs, doing many raids etc. He is then taken out and placed in a recovery home for ex child soldiers. At this point he is addcited to the drugs and goes through withdrawal. He then makes it to America after escaping the attack on freetownand shares his story in the book “A long way gone”. **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Amnesty International-Human rights activists. **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Child Soldier International-Strive to end the use of children. **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> UNIFCEF-Helping children around the world in every aspect. **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Four Benchmarks **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. The Safety and Rule of Law that person property should be protected and that kaws set are enforced was definitely violated. His home was looted and burned like many others. Though the government tried to stop them they were to able, that is the having the power to enforce laws part that is being violated. **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. The Workers’ Rights is heavily violated in Ishmeal’s life. You could say that he was a worker as a soldier. And he did get paid in the sense that he could take what he wanted in looting. But he was drafted much too early at the age of only 13. **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Before the war reached his village he had a sustainable life. His father was a farmer as far as I know they had electricity and running water. But as soon as he began to travel they steered clear of Roads. The roads were very dangerous and an easy way to be drafted. So it became a struggle to know where exactly they were and how to get food. Not so much concerning Ishmeal but just the region in general the mineral mines were heavily controlled by the rebels and just like in the Congo funded their war. **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Ishmeal fits into two major sections, both the Education and Health sections. He got school up until he was drafted and he had O.K health care. Once he was drafted both went out the window. His spiraled out of control with his use of drugs. And he did not get any more education until he was in the rehab center. Along with the use of drugs you can imagine that he got injured. He was shot a few times and they used painkillers to dull the pain until he found a doctor. Compared to other child soldiers he was fairly well taken care of. **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Ishmeal is deserving of the prize money because it will go straight back into the foundations that helped him recover. Child soldiers have completely deprived of their childhood and they deserve a chance to live a normal life. These children are the future of not just Sierra Leone but many other African countries. If they grow up thinking fighting is the only way to solve issues, war will only continue. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Works CIted


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone_Civil_War **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/children-s-rights/child-soldiers **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #009933; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">www.child-soldiers.org/ **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.unicefusa.org/search/search.jsp?query=Child+SoldierU **