Africa

Concerning the Vietnam War as it involved the United States, part of its legacy in this country includes memories of the wartime draft that compelled young men of age to either serve for their country or be arrested and detained by authorities for refusing to comply with the fFderal mandate.

Of course, the draft itself was controversial, especially in its demand for the children of proud mothers and fathers to enlist with the Armed Forces even if they did not support American involvement in Communist Southeast Asia. The key here, though, is that these boys, again, were technically of age to serve in the military.

While young adults were forced to participate in the Vietnam War, there were no instances of illegally abducted children. In other parts of the world, meanwhile, where war and civil conflicts in some areas are ongoing struggles that result in daily acts of violence, children are not only unfortunate civilian casualties, but frequently are made to fight on the front lines with guns taller than they are. Missing persons statistics estimate that over a quarter of a million abducted children are used by rebel forces worldwide as child soldiers.