When Children Hold Guns, Who Holds the Microphone?

Image Source: The Kootneeti (origin unknown)

Hey You,

Today I’m going to speak about Pulpit Diplomacy. And of course, you might be wondering what is it? What kind of diplomacy is that? Who is involved in it?

When we are in our 20s or 30s or 40s, remembering our childhood is always fun. For most of us, it was peaceful, or safe. When we are in the age of 10 or 15, our only worry was submitting assignments, preparing for exams and if it’s a sports day or cultural day, then its a competition between each group and who is gonna win. All we have to do is just get up, go to school, play with our friends and then come back. And if it’s vacation time, go to our grandmother’s house, play with our cousins, jumping from one tree to another. I don’t know who all can connect to this but at least we had a good time, I feel.

But there are children who don’t know what school is or ironically what childhood is! They were born into conflicts or wars. And unfortunately, without much of a choice they were also dragged into those conflicts. At the age of 10, instead of holding toys, they were given guns. Yes, this still happens. And painfully, it is not fiction but the cruel reality of life. This is the life of a “Child Soldiers.”

In 2024 alone, the United Nations confirmed that over 22,500 children were victims of serious abuses in 26 conflict zones around the world. These included being killed, maimed, recruited as soldiers, abducted, or sexually abused, with a shocking total of nearly 33,000 grave violations recorded. This marks the highest number in almost a decade, as reported by Virginia Gamba, the UN’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

In June 2024, an article was published in the UN page written by Vibhu Mishra, which shares the devastating experience of a 16 year old boy from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. His words carried the weight of pain no child should ever carry. He spoke through an interpreter, with his identity protected. He was forced to join an armed group while he was walking to school. He described how armed men would invade their villages, snatching children. If their parents couldn’t pay ransom, the children were killed. The schools and hospitals were attacked and turned into military bases.

“We cried and trembled, begging them to let us go home to our families, but they wouldn’t listen. That’s when they started whipping us and keeping us in the bush. We were heavily guarded, and they had ordered to kill anyone who tried to flee” he said.

His story revealed the harsh and silenced realities many children face in conflict zones. They are often being starved, forced to loot, rob, and made to witness unspeakable violence. Even girls were taken and treated as “wives” by fighters, when in truth it is nothing but abuse. This happens because children are impressionable, they can be easily manipulated or programmed with extremist ideologies, whether through false promises or sheer terror. Armed groups exploit this vulnerability, believing young recruits will be more obedient and loyal than adults. For commanders, children are not just victims but are tools of control.

After three years in captivity, the boy managed to escape and was helped by the Congolese government’s child demobilisation programme. Today, he is back in school and actively working with the children’s parliament to raise awareness about the rights of children.

His personal plea to the Security Council was clear and powerful:

“I urge the United Nations to help protect children, ensure they have access to education and healthcare, and keep them safe from violence in places where their rights are constantly violated.”

This is just the experience of one child, but there are thousands more, living in silence and fear. So who will speak for them? How will their voice get heard? How does the world respond to such injustices? This is where pulpit diplomacy comes in, a way for the world to raise its voice when others cannot.

In recent decades, the plight of child soldiers has become a focal point of international advocacy, with various global leaders, organizations, and activists using their platforms to draw attention to this issue. And this phenomenon is often referred to as pulpit diplomacy — the use of influential platforms to address and influence international opinion and policy regarding critical issues.

Pulpit diplomacy is a form of soft power, where influential individuals, states, or organizations use public platforms to highlight international crises and sway global opinion. Unlike traditional diplomatic negotiations, pulpit diplomacy often relies on the media, speeches at international forums, and social media campaigns to put pressure on governments and non-state actors. It appeals to moral values and human rights, aiming to shape public discourse and encourage collective action. And beyond child soldiers, pulpit diplomacy has been used to address climate change, racial injustice, refugee crises, and human trafficking, where words can inspire change even before policies do.

Today, pulpit diplomacy stands not just as a diplomatic tool, but as a moral responsibility, to speak when others cannot, to act when others remain still. In 2013, Malala Yousafzai, then only 16, stood before the United Nations after surviving a Taliban assassination attempt. Her words echoed the very essence of pulpit diplomacy:

“One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.”

She reminded the world that even a single voice, if heard, can inspire nations to act. As Malala also said:

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”

In a world of war zones and international summits, words can sometimes wield more power than weapons. Pulpit diplomacy reminds us that even in the face of silence, a single voice can awaken the conscience of the world. Whether it’s a child from Congo pleading for safety or Malala speaking for every girl denied education, these voices echo beyond borders. They do not just tell stories, they demand change. And through global platforms, their pain becomes our responsibility. Because in a world where some children hold books and others hold guns, we must ask ourselves:

Whose hands determine the worth of a human life even before they get a chance to dream?