The harsh reality of child soldiers

Children are being forced to kill each other, to burn people alive and abduct other kids to fight other people's wars.

It's nothing new.

This is the reality for many kids who are alone, orphaned and frightened.

They either choose to or are abducted and forced to fight for an armed group.

For centuries this has been the case for countless kids and it's still happening today.

Joining an armed group has been the only way for many kids to have protection or simply survive.

More than 357 million children live in war and conflict zones today, and tens of thousands of children are being used as soldiers.

They become fighters, suicide bombers, human shields, messengers, spies, and they are even used for sex.

They experience violence to the core, either as witnesses, victims, or active players.

A lot of these kids don't make it out alive, and many who do, have severe physical and emotional injuries, and end up living with disabilities for the rest of their lives.

We, me say, I feel the same, me say that boy PK is able to do everything that boy PK is able to do.

I don't think they will be able to go back there.

They will be buried.

A life mortal man, a life goat will be buried.

They will enter an atonement, they will kill people there.

Despite it being an international war crime, 56 non-state armed groups and seven state armed forces in 14 countries use children as soldiers.

It's happening in Colombia, Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Iraq, and most recently in the Syrian war.

Terror groups like Daesh, also known as ISIS, and the YPG

have been using kids to fight and sending them to their deaths.

But there is some help coming from aid organisations like UNICEF and Amnesty International.

They've managed to save a number of children from the conflicts in countries like Myanmar, Afghanistan, Chad and Sri Lanka and help them to reintegrate into society.

What type of future these kids will have, and if they'll ever have a normal life like other kids, is still up in the air.

I just want peace in my life.