The U.S. Is Enabling The Use of Child Soldiers
The headline of this story might seem like an absurd, yellow journalism claim, but it’s true.
In 2008, the US signed in to law the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, or the CSPA. Its purpose is to stop US arms sales and military assistance to countries using child soldiers. However, the act included a provision that allows the President to waive the law and let sales continue to whatever countries he chooses if he believes it is in the interest of national security, although no proof is needed. While this seems like a useful provision in case of some sort of an emergency, it has been repeatedly abused. Presidents since the acts passing, including Obama and Trump, have waived almost all of the sales to child soldier-using countries. In fact, according to National Interest, the Trump administration has waived 97% sales and allowed to $123 million in total assistance to get to these countries.
The US uses this defective law as a scapegoat to appear free of guilt from the use of child soldiers. The act has the potential to send a strong, clear message to other countries that child soldiers are not acceptable- and yet it has been aside to prioritize meager economic benefits.
11 countries were on the list to be prohibited under the act in 2018, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Burma, Mali, South Sudan, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. None of these are large enough customers to have adverse effects if sales were stopped. $128 million might sound like a lot, but it is only a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of the multi-billion dollar industry of US arms sales. But even if it weren’t, US complicity in the use of child soldiers should be an immediate priority. The presidential national interest waiver should either be removed or require proof and approval by congress.
Child soldiers are robbed of their childhoods. Forced to leave behind their families to fight and kill, the effects are devastating and long lasting- if they manage to survive.
