Red Hand Day Assembly

The United Nations estimates that 1 in 6 children live in areas of conflict today. That is at least 360 million children living in areas affected by war. Over 300,000 of these children are child soldiers.

12 February marked International Red Hand Day, a universal day recognised by the United Nations, dedicated to raising awareness and promoting positive social change on the topic of using children as soldiers and for labour. 

The sad reality is children are often used to fight in wars. According to international human rights law, no child under the age of 18 can be recruited into the armed forces whether that be by the government or by militias and gangs. Despite this, the average age for a child to become a solider is 12 years old. 

 
The term ‘child soldier’ encompasses a wide range of roles in which children – boys and girls – are used in military conflict. The responsibilities of a child soldier can include armed combat, a spy, a cook, a porter, a messenger or ‘wife’. Regardless of the responsibilities, each role has long-term, negative effects on children.

Children are kidnapped from their homes or lured by the false promise of a better life only to find that they have been recruited into a life of forced labour and despair. This often happens in less economically developed countries.

While the physical effects of being a child soldier are varied, the horrors of armed conflict do leave long-lasting psychological effects. Most notably post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severe personality changes. The principal damage is psychological.

 In order to tackle this issue, organisations take a four-pronged approach. 

 1. Educating and empowering children allowing them to increase their decision-making skills and urging them to promote peace and social unity.

2. Strengthening families and caregivers to be the first line of protection and care for children – establishing a strong support network. 

3. Partnering with communities to address the root causes of violence against children. This can include tackling inequality, inadequate social protection, poverty and beliefs that tolerate and spread violence. 

4. Reintegration. This is what Third Hope, our school charity does. Third Hope’s aim is to build training centres for people, adults and children that have been freed or escaped from a life where they have been kept as child soldiers. They provide a home, education and community alongside healing therapies for victims. Third Hope are building a village in Northern Uganda where ex-child soldiers can find a place to learn, train, heal and rediscover hope: hope for their future and hope for the restoration of their communities.

But what can we do to help tackle the issue of children being used in warfare?

1. Educate yourself. Visit Third Hope‘s website to learn more about the situation. 

2. Spread the word. Tell you friends and families that there are children across the globe that are being forced to kill or be killed.   

3. Finally, donate to charities and organisations like Third Hope who are on the front lines eradicating this crime and supporting victims. They count on our support to develop infrastructure, provide simple resources such as textbooks and security for their residents.