The USA and child soldiers?

Question

I am doing an essay for a 10 thousand dollar scholarship on child soldiers and would like to know if I should include the USA in the essay. The geneva convention defines a child soldier as a soldier who is under the ages of 18, I found this shocking because America allows people to enlist at the age of 17. There are documentated cases of 17 year olds dieing in Iraq. Do you think that the USA should be held in the same regards as Somalia, The Congo, Burma, Sri Lanka and Chechnia. The UN is always criticizing those countries, why doesn't any of the blame put on the US.

Answer 1

Child soldiers in Sri Lanka are recruited by LTTE organization without their consent or the parent's consent. In fact most of the time they forced to join or kidnapped by the LTTE.

I don't think anything like that is happening in USA. You can't only look at the age

Answer 2

no because the military would not let anyone enlist who is not younger than 17, when i see pictures of Muslim kids with assault rifles and rpg's that is totally different. i mean in America we often try 17 year old criminals as adults, but i don't think a 12 year old has ever been tried as an adult.and I'd like to see a link saying that a 17 year old was killed in Iraq, i can't find one.

but i did find the UN criticism of countries that start recruitment at age 10 and active service at about 15, now that to me sounds like child soldiers, not at 17

Answer 3

The Geneva Convention does NOT define a "child soldier", the UN does. One can enlist at age 17 with parental consent. One must look at UN resolutions as BEYOND what the wording is. Look at the politics behind it. It was originally designed concerning children as young as 9/10 carrying weapons in the Middle East and Africa.
The eventual selection of age 17 is clearly aimed at the US, Britain, France, and W. Europe by countries otherwise implicated: Nigeria, Gabon, DRC, etc.

Answer 4

the USA was the only country in the UN to oppose the Child Soldier rules. It is also the only country to oppose land mine restrictions, nuclear proliferation treaties or the restrictions on the sales of weapons of mass destruction.
There is blame for all of these put on the USA, but your media very effectively blocks it.
ps. The US military does not allow the compiling or publishing of casualty figures. The only number they release is the fatalities list. You will not find ages listed in the injury or fatality lists released to the media.
ps the youngest US service man I can find on record as having been court marshalled was 15 years old after 2 years of service in the US Navy, second world war. He never lied about his age while enlisting..

Answer 5

absolutely not, if you look at countries like Liberia and actually research what's going on there, you'll see that child soldiers are usually orphans who latch onto the gang mentality of survival... the 17 year olds who enlist in the united states make a decision based on several factors, they aren't pushed into a role as soldier, they choose it... there is no comparison to 3rd world countries that have "child soldiers" and the united states at all

Answer 6

As far as child soldiers, no. In America, 17 year olds need parental permission to join the military, I doubt countries like Somalia have parental permission slips for under 18 year olds... come on check the facts before asking, or writing your essay.

Answer 7

There are NO child-soldiers in the US Armed
Forces. 17 year old teenagers can not enlist in the US Military unless they have a HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA or GED and have a written
consent from a parent or legal guardian. PERIOD!!!!!!! N O to the last statement!!!!!

Answer 8

You can enlist at 17 1/2 and no one has died in Iraq that has been 17. It takes a few months after signing up to leave and then about four to five months to finish all your training and in processing. Then you get leave and then report to your duty station to train at least for six months or so before leaving for Iraq. If you can only join at 17 1/2, I do believe you would have had a birthday by then.

Answer 9

Now at the same time as i'm heavily of the opinion that the U. S. initiation of Iraq conflict II must have not in any respect occurred, and actual not interior the way it did, I even ought to demonstrate screen that many many 1000's of civilians had died in Iraq. at the same time as there grow to be the Tsunami contained in the East many years in the past quite a number of bodies were nonetheless round a at the same time as after the incident. hence... i ought to say that that is logistically very puzzling to mass-produce coffins... it should be wonderful to confirm an end to the killing yet at the same time as the killing persists i imagine that any style of cover or storage, which incorporates luggage, are better effective than leaving them to the scavengers. ~_~;;;

Answer 10

well, when you say child soldiers, i would think around 13 or 14. but you could include USA as one. but you should look into it before you do.