Read the cover story of the October 4th issue of Upfront on page 6. Copy and paste the short quiz into your comment and then take the short quiz. Then answer the questions that follow.
1. As part of the fight against terrorism, the U.S. government is supporting the military of _____, which employs child soldiers.
a. Democratic Republic of the Congo
b. Uganda
c. Somalia
d. Colombia
2. Which of the following statements about the use of children as combatants around the world is false?
a. Hunger and poverty can drive parents to sell their children into military service.
b. The use of child soldiers is a problem that dates back about 20 years.
c. Children are seen as ideal soldiers because they are often easy to manipulate.
d. Children are used as combatants by both rebel groups and in government militias.
3. Which of the following is not mentioned in the article as a current conflict in which children are reportedly being used as soldiers.
a. In Iraq, Al Qaeda sympathizers use children to test roadside bombs.
b. In Colombia, rebels use children to fight, spy, and plant explosives.
c. In the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinian children have been sent into Israel as suicide bombers.
d. In Congo, Rebel groups use children as combatants in their fight over the country's gold, diamonds, and other natural resources.
4. One nation's former leader, _______, is on trial by the International Criminal Court, accused of employing child soldiers.
a. Yakubu Gowon of Nigeria
b. Mohammed Suharto of Indonesia
c. Omar al-Bashir of Sudan
d. Charles Taylor of Liberia
What might be done to stop the use of child soldiers around the world? Should the US stop funding governments that are known to use children as combatants? At what age do you think that someone is ready to be a soldier? Explain.
