Put the gun Down, son

About 250,000 children around the world are exploited in state-run armies, paramilitaries, and rebel groups, according to the international humanitarian organization World Vision. "Serving as combatants, porters, human mine detectors, and sex slaves, their health and lives are endangered and their childhoods are sacrificed," World Vision reports.

Although many child soldiers are found in non-governmental armed opposition groups, the State Department reports that the governments of Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Uganda exploit children as soldiers. (Click here for more about this.)

American money should not be used to support the exploitation of children as soldiers; furthermore, US weapons should not end up in the hands of children.

A bill recently introduced in the Senate would put restrictions on US military assistance for governments that use child soldiers. Introduced by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sam Brownback (R-KS), S.1175 Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2007 would curtail U.S. military assistance to governments that fail to take steps to demobilize and stop recruiting children into the armed forces or government-supported militias. Countries that take steps to demobilize child soldiers would be eligible for certain forms of assistance in that process for up to two years, to help professionalize their forces and ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars are not used to finance the exploitation of children in armed conflict. (Click here if you would like to send a letter of support for this bill to your senator.)