U.S. Recognizes Child Soldiering as Human Trafficking > U.S. Department of Defense > Defense Department News

When Charles was 12, the Revolutionary United Entrance insurgent forces got here by means of his dwelling, the Kono District of Sierra Leone. They have been marching for Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, and constructing a military by forcing residents to hitch them. They have been notably taken with kids and, through the 11-year civil battle, 40-50% of the RUF forces and 20% of the federal government forces have been kids ages 9-18. Charles remembers:

“You’d see them in teams, take a lady and go into the room and so they come again out, three males, all sweating, and also you heard the woman crying and shouting. Typically you simply hear a gunshot, like bam. A part of their methodology for getting kids to do what they wished to do was to pressure us to take medicine. These few of us who pretended we did not perceive weapons and how one can use them they used as laborers, however the others needed to do horrible issues: the rebels instructed kids to kill, burn homes, loot and trigger many different mayhems. You’ll be able to by no means unsee these atrocities.”

The U.S. Authorities acknowledges youngster soldiering as a type of human trafficking. Youngster soldiering happens when a governmental armed group (together with police or different safety forces), paramilitary group, insurgent group, or different non-state armed group unlawfully recruits or makes use of kids — by means of pressure, fraud, or coercion — as combatants or in help roles. Such help roles embrace kids serving as cooks, porters, guards, messengers, medics, servants or spies.  

Youngsters are additionally used as intercourse slaves, which happens when armed teams pressure or coerce kids to “marry” or be raped by commanders or combatants. Each female and male kids are sometimes sexually abused or exploited by members of armed teams and endure the identical varieties of devastating bodily and psychological penalties related to intercourse trafficking. In 2014, Boko Haram, an extremist Islamic sect in Nigeria, kidnapped over 200 women from a faculty in Chibok.  

One survivor, named Habiba, tells of being captured at age 15, locked in a cage for 4 months, and compelled to marry a soldier. She escaped, two months pregnant, and was discovered on the streets a 12 months later, caring for her child and two orphans who have been boys kidnapped by Boko Haram for use as youngster troopers. Different survivors additionally advised tales of torture, rape and sexual slavery. One survivor described three women who tried to flee however have been caught, flogged and thrown right into a gap. “They advised us whosoever cries or begs for them to not be slaughtered can be slaughtered together with them,” she stated.   

Annually, as required by the Youngster Troopers Prevention Act, the U.S. Division of State compiles a listing of overseas governments recognized through the earlier 12 months as having authorities armed forces, police, or different safety forces, or government-supported armed teams that recruit or use youngster troopers. A variety of sources is used to create the checklist, together with firsthand remark by U.S. authorities personnel, analysis and credible reporting from numerous United Nations entities, worldwide organizations, native and worldwide non-governmental organizations, and worldwide and home media retailers.

The 2024 Trafficking In Individuals Report lists the next 17 nations: Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Libya, Mali, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkiye, Venezuela and Yemen. Pursuant to CSPA, governments recognized on the checklist are topic to restrictions on some sorts of safety help, reminiscent of Overseas Navy Financing, Worldwide Navy Schooling and Coaching, and business licensing of army tools. These restrictions start within the fiscal 12 months following the federal government being listed within the TIP Report. Starting Oct. 1, 2024, and efficient all through Fiscal 12 months 2025, these restrictions will apply to the beforehand listed nations, absent a presidential waiver, relevant exception, or reinstatement of help pursuant to the phrases of the CSPA.  

You’ll be able to learn two tales from survivors of kid soldiering on the U.S. Division of Protection Combating Trafficking in Individuals Survivor Voices of Human Trafficking webpage.