War. Sometimes considered a necessary evil, but should it really cost the lives of thousands of innocent children? Currently, an estimated 300,000 children are fighting in wars in Africa, Sudan, Afghanistan and countless other countries. Typically, between 14 and 18 children are recruited or kidnapped, but some are as young as 11 years old. A child soldier is defined as “any child – boy or girl – under the age of eighteen, who is part of a regular or any army. irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity” (Kaplan). Although child soldiers were used to aid in combat, in cases such as Hitler's youth group or squires training to become knights in the 15th century, there is greater concern about their use today, as they are thrown onto the front lines instead of being used. be prepared from a young age to fight when they are more mature. Nowadays, the war is much more advanced and military leaders are giving children deadlier weapons and subjecting them to horrific violence, all to save money and have more men fighting under their command. Child soldiers are used in war for many jobs and because of their naive tendency, ease of manipulation, and the fact that they are cheap and plentiful. Child soldiers can be used for many jobs. They don't receive much training, but their main goal is to be sent to the front. “They can fight on the front line, participate in suicide missions and act as spies, messengers or lookouts” (child soldiers). Children can also carry heavy loads of ammunition and wounded soldiers or become peacetime cooks and guards. They are useful because they "can fight in the army for over 20 years before being discharged" (11 Reasons Why Children Become Soldiers) and they create a lot of chaos...... middle of paper . ..... and 69% of men answered yes. Finally, when asked if they would kill someone to protect their family, 85% of women said they would and 100% of men said they would. .hrw.org/topic/childrens-rights/child-soldiers http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/effects-of-conflict/root-causes-of-child-soldiering/ http://www.warchild.org. uk/about https://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/why-countries-have-child-soldiers http://www.child-soldiers.org/faq.php http://www.bbc .co.uk /worldservice/people/features/childrensrights/childrenofconflict/soldier.shtml http://www.cfr.org/human-rights/child-soldiers-around-world/p9331#p2 http://www.unicef .org/sowc96 /2csoldrs.htmhttp://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/C157333FCA91F573C1256C130033E448-chilsold.htm