Child Soldiers – The Devastating Truth
Hailey Marais
This Independent Study Unit gives insight on the hardships faced by children recruited into armed forces, focusing on those affected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines and Colombia. The report outlines the possible solutions to this global issue and ways to properly reintegrate former child soldiers into their societies following the horrific experiences they have been exposed to. The topic of this Independent Study Unit was inspired by a guest speaker named Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone. Upon hearing Beah’s devastating story, I was completely shocked to discover that this was an ongoing issue occurring in countries all over the world. I was interested in learning more about child soldiers and what is being done to put an end to this issue. Ishmael Beah sparked my interest in this topic, and hearing his story inspired me to become less ignorant to what is happening in the world around me.