Children in Conflict

Wherever political and military conflict happen, children are caught in the crossfire.  Years ago, I spoke to a teenaged boy who had been involved with communist insurgents in the mountains on Negros Island.  I asked him why he had joined the group, knowing that it would be dangerous.  He said, "I had nothing to eat, and I could see that they were eating."  Often it's that simple.  Throughout the world, minors are apprehended by military forces during anti-terrorist campaigns and are labeled as insurgents, rebels and enemy combatants.  What follows is usually an abrogation of their basic human and civil rights.  This has certainly taken place during the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan and it happens wherever conflict occurs.  In the Philippines, this is most likely to happen on the southern islands where insurgencies are most prevalent.  Programs to provide guidance and rehabilitation for children in conflict with the law will also need to make efforts to help young people caught up in military conflicts as well.http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/09/20/dispatches-war-children-philippines