Some children volunteer themselves in order to support their families or to protect their families from threats of violence by soldiers. Some parents encourage their daughters to join the army if their marriage prospects are poor. Some children join an army for their own protection. Faced with violence and chaos all around, they decide they are safer with guns in their hands. Many children have lost their parents in the war and feel safe with a gun or seek revenge for the deaths of their family.
Some children join because of their strong beliefs.
They want to fight for their freedom. Receive the same treatment as adults such as brutal initiation ceremonies. Some children serve as porters, carrying very heavy loads of up to 60 kilograms including ammunition or injured soldiers. Children too weak to carry their loads are often beaten or shot. Prepare food, attend to the wounded, act as guards, gardeners, hunters and gatherers of food for the army, lookouts, messengers, perform sexual services for adult soldiers, act as wives for adult soldiers, While children of both sexes might start out in indirect support functions, it does not take long before they are placed in the heat of battle.