How are child soldiers being used today?
There are estimated to be 250,000 child soldiers in the world. A child soldier is defined as a child who participates actively in a violent conflict as a member of an organization that applies violence in a systematic way. Many rebel groups use child soldiers to fight the government, but some governments also use child soldiers in armed conflict. A soldier may serve as a spy, scout, cook, messenger, porter or even a sex slave. They need not brandish a gun. Children are currently being used in armies in 19 known countries including India, Israel, and the Philippines. Africa has the largest number of child soldiers.