Uses of Child Soldiers in Somalia
- Front line warriors, seen as expendable to go before the adults and "detect mines"
- Body Guards for Al-Shabaab members
- Sex slaves
- Manual labour such as building and mending bases,cooking, cleaning, farming
- Smuggling goods such as drugs over boarders
- Spies, messengers, look outs
- Political leverage in propaganda or as human shields
Children are often used due to the ease at which they can be manipulated by militaristic leaders. They tend to be more manageable,obedient and less conscious of danger. Armed groups often target children because the necessary financial investments for recruiting, training and arming children costs much less than adults.