People in other countries have different opinions on child education And when to send them into the armed forces. Some countries believe that kids should be in school until they become and adult and, if they chose, then they can join the armed forces. In other countries they believe that an education isn’t needed and that you can join armed forces or other fighting groups. There are pros and cons to that, and some believe that is’t pro or con.

When you become a child soldier ,depending on the country, you have to pass a test to see if you will do anything for a cause. If you pass the test then you join the army. In some countries the test is killing family, friends, or other people. The Rebels cut of civilians lips, ears, and noses as they fought the government ,in Uganda. Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Home, was a one of few child soldiers who was rescued by UNICEF, United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund, who helped him forgive himself for what he did.
Even though the boys are treated badly, the girls are treated slightly worse, as seen in this quote from the IRIN, Integrated Regional Information Network, in their article Girl Child Soldiers Face New Battles in Civilian Life.“Girl child soldiers are often thought of only as “sex slaves”, a term that glosses over the complex roles many play within armed groups and in some national armies.” and World Bank briefing, Children in Emergency and Crisis Situations, says: “The use of girls [by armed forces] has been confirmed in Colombia, DRC
[Democratic Republic of Congo], East Timor, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda and West Africa. There are some 12,500 in DRC. However, girls are generally less visible and up to now have hardly benefited from demobilization and reintegration programs for child soldiers.”

When you become a child soldier you lose many things, one thing you can’t get back is your childhood. In the article Kony’s child soldiers: ‘When you kill for the first time you change’ a story about Korman Okello’s experience with being a child in the article it states this. “Is this man your father?” one of them asked. “No, sir,” said Norman. The soldier raised a large stick. “Is it your father? Tell me.” “It is not my father.” I ask Norman why he denied this. “Because if I accept, they would make me kill him.” The LRA often forced recruits to murder their parents so that they’d have no family to escape to. Somehow, though, Norman convinced them of his lie. His father was led away. They took Norman to a commander named Ojara. “We’re going to write your name,” he said.

Norman expected Ojara to produce a pen. Instead, four teenagers beat him with large sticks. He was told, “If you scream, we will kill you.” Recalling the pain, Norman shakes his head. “It was beyond…” he says. “My face swelled up, my eyes bled. By the end, you could not recognize me.” From a distance, Norman’s father watched in tears as his boy passed out”

Child soldier are a bad thing because they are cruel and demeaning to another, people have to take medical treatment both physical and mental. They take lives as if they’re nothing but expect that their life if valuable. They change who they could have been.