the little ones... it was terrible -- you would be whipped if you did something wrong. Once, I'd been ordered to carry some bananas but they were too heavy so I left some behind. As a punishment, I was tied by my arms and feet and given 20 lashes with a rope." - Joseph, former child soldier, age 15. Between 3000 and 6000 children are estimated to be serving armed groups in the DRC. You can do something to stop this tragedy by clicking here. (PDF) Scroll down to page 7.