Topic: Reintegrating Former Child Soldiers
Country: Sweden
Delegate Name: Maddie Meyer
School: East Grand Rapids High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Sweden position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
Many children suffer from hunger, disease, malnourishment, abuse, and many other similar issues, but children also suffer from the long-lasting effects of war on their young minds and bodies. Approximately 300,000 children are in combat in about 30 conflicts worldwide, and almost half a million child soldiers serve in armies not at war. Some of these children volunteer because the various armies they are serving bribe them with food and shelter for their starving families. Others join because the army they are fighting against killed one of their family members. But many of these children are abducted and forced to fight. Most children who have participated in conflicts and were forced to kill opposing soldiers or even civilians now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Some feel so guilty about killing the people they were forced to kill, and they say they want to commit suicide. The use of child soldiers has been occurring since before World War II, but we have recently seen a rise in the number of child soldiers used due to the deteriorating social structures around them.
Sweden was one of the first countries to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. They also have a governmental group solely devoted to protecting children’s rights by enforcing The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. They have made many laws, such as children cannot be forced to work and children must get an education, that protect children’s rights and ensure that children are educated and well taken care of. They even give each parent 480 days of paid parental leave per child for children under the age of eight. They believe so strongly in protecting children, they were the first country to pass a law in 1979 that makes beating or spanking children a criminal offence. Sweden also believes that growing, developing children cannot be allowed to fight in conflicts where they will likely be physically and mentally damaged for the rest of their lives. They want to ensure that children’s rights are not only defended in their country, but also worldwide.
There are many proposals to the problem of children being forced to fight, and then not being able to properly reintegrate into society after all they’ve seen and done in combat. One of the most common solutions attempts to eliminate the problem at the root: by stopping the deterioration of social situations, these children wouldn’t be forced to fight for the promise of food. Another common solution is increasing education in the areas where these children live. If they are more educated about the destruction of war, the less likely they will be to volunteer to fight. Some other solutions include improving existing legislation, ensuring the proper prosecution of offenders of the UN law that states children must be at least 18 to fight, establishing shelters for children that have been exposed to war, and simply expanding existing programs.
Sweden believes that children need to be kept with their parents so they can grow and develop in a good environment and get a quality education. The best way to accomplish these goals is to set up shelters for the returning child soldiers where they will learn to reintegrate back into society. Once they have reached a stable mental and physical condition, they can be reunited with their families and/or communities. Sweden knows this is not an ideal situation, but until the use of child soldiers is eliminated, Sweden believes this is the best option.
