THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

CHILD SOLDIERS: Recent estimates suggest that there are almost 300,000 child soldiers throughout the world fighting in over 40 conflicts. In countries such as Burma, Sudan and Afghanistan, children are fighting alongside adults in wars. Many child soldiers are forcibly removed from their homes, taken from their families and made to fight.

Exercise 1:

A. Child soldiers require less food than adult soldiers, so they are cheaper to feed
  - True
B. Child soldiers really want to fight and they go freely to the camps and follow orders without having to be given drugs
   - False
C. Children are more difficult to control than adults
  - False
D. Children are brainwashed and often given drugs
  - True
E. Modern weapons are very light and can be easily handled by children
  - True

Dictation:

STREET CHILDREN:  Many children whose parents have died or no longer want to look after them are left to live on the streets. These children face serious healt problems because of solvent abuse and attending school is not possible for them.

CHILD WORKERS:  Throughout the world, children as young as 5 years old are forced to work. There are 250 million child workers between the ages of 5 and 14. Their work is often dangerous and is a form of slavery.