Invisible children

1. Invisible children BY: Jason Young

2. Night commuters • Uganda has an estimated 30,000 children called "night commuters“. They flee their homes at night and go to urban areas in order not to be abducted by the rebels. If found, they would be killed or taken to the army.

3. The rebels • The “rebels” are a group of men and children considered to be the most brutal. They kill without a cause and little children are no exception to this rule. The rebels kill whenever they feel like it. They abduct children and brainwash them to go into the Ugandan army. Once they are recruited, they must kill 20 people in order not to be killed themselves.

4. Personal opinion • My personal opinion on “Invisible Children” is sad. I thought it was sad because children were being abused and abducted against their own will. I feel sorrowful for them because their parents are either dead or were abducted by the rebels. If I ever went to Uganda, I would want to bring plane tickets for everyone so they could go with me. Also, I would bring lots of supplies like paper, pencils and books so that they could be educated and learn how to cope or get out of that situation.

5. Moral issues • The moral issues behind children in armed conflict is that they will get killed in action fighting for reasons they know nothing of. That type of responsibility shouldn’t even be considered for a child. Children should never be taught or trained on how to use a gun and learn to kill their peers or the people around them. These kids are too young to have possession of a weapon in the first place. The moral of this story is to let children be children and let them keep their innocence.

6. Where child soldiers are used • Child soldiers are a part of the culture in most countries in Africa, usually in the most poverty stricken areas. Most are in Uganda but some can be found in Sierra Leone.

7. Why children are used in armed conflict • Children are used in armed conflict because they are the most stealthy and can sneak around to kill the enemies and win the war. They are the easiest to train and brainwash, unaware of how this can effect their future.

8. How the society suffers • Children were often forcibly recruited, given drugs and used to commit atrocities. Thousands of girls were also recruited as soldiers and often subjected to sexual exploitation. Many of the children were survivors of village attacks, while others were found abandoned. They were used for patrol purposes, attacking villages, and guarding workers in the diamond fields. The society suffers because the children will never become adults capable of success in the future due to all of the senseless killings.

9. Why are child soldiers found in some countries and not others? • They are found in some countries because they don’t have a stable government. Other countries don’t use child soldiers because we have rules and a stable government. Uganda doesn’t have a stable government. • Unstable Stable

10. Grace • Abducted from her home at 10 years old and forced to fight as a soldier, Grace was beaten repeatedly for three years, and at 13, was forced to become a sex-slave to a 40-year old commander in the L.R.A. (Lords Resistance army). After her narrow escape from the bush, with a gunshot wound to the leg, she discovered she was pregnant with the commander’s child.