Dangerous Playground: “Addressing the issue on the rights of Child Soldiers” (Pm Session on Child Soldiers)

Last August 28, 2010 after the discussion on Public diplomacy by the speaker of the Department of Tourism we also have an opportunity to hear the voices of Sargent Kervin Ras, who was a former child Soldier in Iraq and Col. Dickson Hermoso, a chief of staff, civil military officer, peace process officer, human rights officer and a former child soldier in Cotabato. They discussed some of their experiences as a child soldier and the continuing process of this child soldiering in a modern world. The first Speaker, Kervin Ras shared some story of a child who died in an implantation of explosives in Iraq. Over the last ten years, more than a million children have been killed in this scene, some have been orphaned, others are seriously injured or permanently disabled and the rest have been left with serious psychological trauma.

According to Dr. Gracia quoted by Col. Dickson Hermosa, “Child soldiering means any child, boy or girl, aged less than 18 years who is recruited compulsory by force or adheres with the intention of using him or her contracting armed forces or paramilitary forces of defense units.” Col. Dickson Hermoso said that child soldiering are most evident in Islamic society wherein they have this Jihad which is a religious group promoting Child soldiering, also, Bangsamoro struggle is a religious obligation to attain Islamic Independence wherein the children involvement is a religious undertaking to their concept of culture and tradition.

War disturbs every part of a child's growth. Children that are affected by armed conflict are hurt or killed, orphaned or departed from their families and relatives, and some were subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation, victims of suffering in trauma as a result of violence exposure, deprived of education and recreation. It is highly possible that children living in conflict areas are dispossessed of basic needs such as food, shelter and medical attention. Moreover, assistance for children seems to be the last priority in war, and due to their physical structure and growth, most vulnerable not only to being deprived of food, medical assistance and education, which has an extreme lasting impact on their progress, but also they served as the sex slaves of some military men.

My heart is wounded every time I hear stories such as this, what strikes me the most is that children were treated as sex slaves and they are very defenseless against the older soldiers that even if they do not want what they are doing they end up doing it because of the fear in their lives. A lot of them suffered from this incident and have a war shock as they grow old mainly because of the incidents that they cannot forget. It is sad that as child soldiers, rather than playing and learning from school, they handed guns and explosives that even I cannot hold.