Child Soldering in Rwanda

Child Soldering in Rwanda

Child Soldiering in Rwanda

In Rwanda, child soldiers have been used by different players as a part of reaching key objectives. To see the long-term consequences, requires examining the issue in detail and why it is occurring. This will be accomplished through studying the problem and how it is impacting the country. These factors will show the lasting effects on the region and the people who live within it.

In many regional conflicts, human trafficking has become an avenue for meeting the needs of the different sides. At the heart of this strategy, is recruiting child soldiers to conduct military operations. According to Human Rights watch, there are a total of 200 to 300 thousand who are recruited in achieving these objectives. This is problematic, as these tactics will destroy society and increase the perpetual cycle of violence. In the case of Rwanda, this is used to help provide the government and rebels with an increasing amount of personnel. (Strauss) To fully understand what is happening, there will be a focus on the main causes and effects through conducting a research study. Together, these elements will show how and why they are being used in Rwanda.

Statement of the Problem

There are tremendous amounts of uncertainty as to why children become child soldiers and the total numbers. This is because of confusion about the accuracy of the statistics and the underlying motivations of different players. The purpose of this study is to understand these factors, in order to create solutions to troubleshoot the root causes of the problem.

Background of the Study

The theoretical literature is showing how there are many causes as to why someone will become a child soldier. According to Wesselles (2006), many of those groups utilizing them will do so because they are an inexpensive solution and they can easily be influenced to engage in different activities. This means that they will not question the orders they are given or the actions taken during the process. (Wesselles) Moreover, Ohlsson (2000) found that poverty and environmental scarcity are what pushes someone to become child soldiers. As they are forced to leave their villages at gun point and have nowhere else to turn. (Ohlsson) These variables are illustrating how this is influencing the actions taken by them and their lasting effects. This study will build upon these findings, in order to offer a better explanation of what is happening.

Research Questions of Hypothesis

The basic hypothesis is: children in Rwanda are forced to become soldiers to protect their families and from a lack of choices. These variables make them susceptible to different influences. To support these ideas a series of research questions will be examined. The most notable include:

Why they were utilized in the conflict?

What is recruitment process?

What are long-term consequences on Rwanda?

What actions are taken to prevent it?

Which organizations are trying to stop it?

What conflicts were the children used for?

These different elements will support the main ideas and offer insights about how this is influencing them. It is at this point, when the hypothesis can be supported or refuted based upon the ideas that were uncovered in the process.