Red Hand Day - Child Recruitment

Child Recruitment

The worldwide number of child soldiers is estimated to be 250,000 (as of 2009, roughly unchanged since 2006), a third of whom are girls, in at least 17 countries—including some who have ratified the treaty; however it is difficult to know the correct number, as most of them are deployed in armed rebel groups.

The most important reason that armed groups or even some governments recruit children as soldiers is their diminished capability to distinguish between right and wrong, as well as between reality and an adventurous game. Up to a certain age, children don't have a full grasp of the finality of death and the severity of the act of killing a human being. They lack the ability to correctly identify dangers and to assess the risks of specific situations. Children are also easy to influence and be made to follow a specific cause.