Giving Aid To Other CountriesThe United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is the independent agency in the United States responsible for providing foreign aid worldwide. They play a big part in deciding where the billions of dollars that the U.S. gives to countries goes. This aid not only covers foreign military aid but also humanitarian aid as well. Among these countries receiving substantial aid from the U.S. each year includes Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Yemen. The problem is that these countries share a common theme that you might recall from earlier. That is, these countries have all been reported using child soldiers.
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How Much Aid Are These Countries Receiving From The United States?
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Why The U.S. Should Stop Sending Aid To These Nations In Nigeria, it was reported for the first time that in 2016, “Nigerian security forces were reported to have used children as young as 12 in support roles to fight against Boko Haram”.
In Afghanistan, the United Nations reported documentation of “ongoing use of child soldiers by the police forces and the army in 2016, including the sexual abuse of boys”. In 2017, Iraq was also put onto the United Nations’ list for the first time when it was documented that they recruited 57 child soldiers, "most of whom received military training and were deployed for combat". These countries have all relied on the money that the U.S. has been providing them over the years to help them deal with their internal problems such as stabling their weak governments, fighting against Taliban's, while also providing them with medical supplies and additional food as well. Despite this, these countries have all been reported of using child soldiers. If the United States was to strongly enforce its laws against the use of child soldiers like the CSPA and CSAA, then these countries wouldn't receive the funds and aid they need to run property. This as a result would put lots of pressure on these countries to massively increase their efforts to eliminate any use of child soldiers in their military forces so that they can continue receiving the aid they need. |
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“Child Soldier.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Jan. 2019, simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child soldier.
“File:US Navy 050104-M-9792P-027 U.S. Marines Work with ...” Wikimedia Commons, 2005, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_050104-M- 9792P 027_U.S._Marines_work_with_Indonesian_Military_personnel_and_International_Aid_workers_to_sort_and_distribute_humanitarian_relief_supplies_store d_in_a_warehouse_at_Palonia_Air_Field_in_Medan,_Indonesia.jpg.
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“UNICEF: 2,100 Child Soldiers Recruited in Yemen.” Middle East Monitor, 28 Dec. 2017, www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171228-unicef-2100-child- soldiers-recruited-in-yemen/.