Children of War - Grade 9 History

War is everywhere, and all over the world children are involved one way or another.  They are involved both directly and indirectly and as sad as it is, it's the truth.  Whatever their involvement may be, children are always the victims of war.

From a distance, we often feel detached from war, however in remote parts of the world for those who are involved (directly or indirectly) the experience is all to real.

In the midst of war children often face the harshest times are are affected in the following ways,

• Children as Soldiers -   "For centuries children have been involved in military campaigns—as child ratings on warships, or as drummer boys on the battlefields of Europe. Indeed the word 'infantry', for foot-soldiers, can also mean a group of young people. What is frightening nowadays is the escalation in the use of children as fighters. Recently, in 25 countries, thousands of children under the age of 16 have fought in wars. In 1988 alone, they numbered as many as 200,000" http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/2csoldrs.htm.
• Torture and Rape - "Many children suffer appalling violence as soldiers, but even those who remain 'civilians' can be subjected to horrific experiences. Anything that can be done to adults, however monstrous, can also be visited on children. Children have been tortured as part of collective punishments for whole communities, or as a means of extracting information about peers or parents. They have also been tortured as a way of punishing their parents, or in some cases simply for entertainment. Once immersed in this savage environment, differences of age soon seem irrelevant.  This also means that children are as likely as adults to be captured and imprisoned. The treatment of child prisoners is a matter of increasing concern—particularly in Rwanda where, for the first time in history, children have been imprisoned and are facing trial for genocide" http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/3torrape.htm. 
• Uprooted Children -  "The waves of violence that have swept across the world in recent years have uprooted enormous numbers of people—at least half of whom are children. Some are classified as 'displaced', having fled their homes to move elsewhere within their own country; others are 'refugees' who have crossed borders into neighbouring countries. The total number of uprooted people is currently around 53 million—one out of every 115 people on earth has been forced into flight...The Civil war in Rwanda separated some 114,000 children from their parents" http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/4uproot.htm.
• Famine and Disease - "Whether they are on their own or with their parents, most of the children who die in wartime have not been hit by bombs or bullets but have succumbed to starvation or sickness...Most such deaths arise from disruption of the normal production and distribution of food. The manipulation of food supplies has always been a significant tactic of war but has been used particularly ruthlessly of late...War also hinders the distribution of food relief...Not only does war interrupt the distribution of food, but it also cuts supplies of water, with particular risks in cities....The lack of food, clean water and adequate health care in war zones exacts a terrible toll on children. For example, it is estimated that, in the period of conflict from 1980 to 1988, Angola lost 330,000 children and Mozambique 490,000 to war-related causes" http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/5famdis.htm.

Questions to Consider Throughout the WebQuest:

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ALL OF THIS?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAD TO GO TO WAR?

HOW COULD ONE FIGHT (NON-VIOLENTLY) AGAINST CHILDREN IN WAR?