Child
soldiers are any one under the age of eighteen who is part of any
kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any
capacity.
They
perform a range of tasks like:
- Participation in combats
- Laying mines and explosives
- Scouting/spying
- Acting as decoys
- Couriers or guards
- Training drills and other preparations
Child
soldiers are boys and girls who fight in adult wars, missing out on
the safe childhood that many of us take for granted.
ON
CHILDREN WISHING TO JOIN THE NEW PEOPLES ARMY (NPA)
The
CPP said that it has resolved to adopt the explicit policy of a
minimum age requirement of 18 years old for NPA fighters as early as
1988, upon noting a trend in the early – to mid- 1980s of markedly
increasing numbers of teenagers joining the NPA.
The
1999 memo also amended Point 1 of Principle III of the basic rules of
the NPA which read:
“Anyone
who is physically fit, regardless of age, sex, race, nationality or
religion and has a capacity to fight and ready to participate in a
protracted armed struggle against the reactionary state power, may be
a member of a fighting unit of the New People’s Army.”
This
was amended to read:
“Any
person who is at least 18 years of age and is physically and mentally
fit, regardless of age, sex, race, nationality or religion, has the
capacity to fight and is ready to participate in armed struggle
against the reactionary state power, may become a combatant or a
member of a fighting unit of the New Peoples Army.”
“Any
person, not less than 15 years of age, may be admitted as a trainee
or apprentice of the New People’s Army and may be assigned to
self-defense, militia and other non-combat units and tasks.”
“In
the event of enemy aggression against or encroachment on the
territory of the people’s democratic government, all persons above
15 years of age may be mobilized for self-defense, provided that
priority among those below 18 years of age but more than 15 years of
age shall be given to the eldest ones in the distribution of weapons
of self-defense.”
Why
would children want to join the New People’s Army (NPA)?
Children
who joined in this kind of activity have different grounds. Some have
said that joining in this group will give them a pleasant future,
they believe that by engaging in this kind of activity they will have
a better life, they believe that they can escape poverty. Others have
said that by joining, they can attain peace.
Some
children have said that they have joined New People’s Army because
of the influence of their friends and family. Just because his/her
relative have joined in this group, that’s why they also want to
join. Others have joined because they want to protect their ancestral
land.
They may have different
grounds on joining New People’s Army but they have one common
reason on why they joined NPA, this is their need to change their
status in life.
Sources:
- What is child soldier? Retrieved from http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/2147
- Retrieved from http://www.hrw.org/node/112941August 08, 2013
- Child Soldiers. Retrieved from http://www.library.mun.ca/guides/howto/apa.php. September 07, 2013
- IBON Foundation. (2006).Uncounted Lives: Children, Women and Conflict in the Philippines. pp.77-79
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