Democratic+Republic+of+Congo-EHFALL10

DRC- Child Soldiers

media type="youtube" key="a66LppV4I-w?fs=1" height="385" width="480" align="center"
 * __Primary Source 1__**

A young man who was previously a soldier in the Democratic Republic of Congo retells about his time in the military as a young child. Child soldiers is a human rights violation that is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He says that being in the army young takes a toll on a person because of the images and expriences they have so young. He joined the Unicef program who gave him and other former child soldiers help and education after their time in the military. Education is really important for making an income and surviving later on as an adult. [|Interview with Sarah Michael about Child Soldiers in the DRC] Sarah Michael provides many details about child soldiers and the human rights violations in her interview. She tells of the new name that child soldiers are being referred to now, children associated with armed forces and groups. This is because kids are not always out on the battlefield. They can become spies, messengers, and porters. There are about 27,000 children in the DRC that are a part of this violation instead of getting an education. Out of that amount 12% are girls. With the tribes and countries fighting, tolerance has to be taught. [|Stories of Child Soldiers] In this in-depth article about child soldiers. One of the child soldiers in named Kadogo and he is only 12 years old. He along with thousands of other child soldiers are fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The magority of the child soldiers are between the ages of 15 and 18. Some children do not fight in the wars though, some are cooks, spies, sex slaves, runner, scouts, or porters. [|Child Soldiers in the DRC Overview] This website explains that most child soldiers are snatched from their families by rebel groups. Later they are not allowed back into their families when they leave the war. They are then orphans living in the streets. This website is called SOS Children's Villages and they give children after the war a place to live when their families disown then. They accept donations.
 * __Primary Source 2__**
 * __Artifact 1__**
 * __Artifact 2__**
 * __Artifact 3__**

This photo shows some of the child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These young boys are taken out of the classrooms to help their tribe or country. Seeing war this young could take an emotional toll later on in their lives. They are also not taught to be tolerant with the others in the area or environment.