The Disposable Child

by Abir Wyne

Photo by Erika Giraud on Unsplash

Childhood. Youth. The beauty of those early stages of life — filled with growth, innocence, naivety, and purity — can be shattered in mere seconds through military occupations, violent oppression, and trafficking systems. Children are not meant to be reduced to products of strenuous labor, political advantage, or war casualties. Yet, throughout Yemen, Syria, Gaza, and Afghanistan, this disruption of youth is the unfair truth for many children. Children are forcefully enlisted into military groups, unlawfully detained, trafficked by commanders, displaced from families, or struck by bomb raids before they even reach adulthood. Although some may believe these exploitations persist due to a lack of awareness, in actuality, these injustices have been visible and understood by humanitarian institutions and governments for years. The continued exploitation of children occurs through increased desensitization and a lack of genuine care within the systems meant to prevent suffering internationally.

Current-day humanitarian systems put on somewhat of a fake label in order to appeal to society as defenders and protectors of children globally, while somehow simultaneously failing to execute the very protection they claim to provide. Agreements made to enforce the safety of children through the prohibition of child trafficking, abuse, and recruitment have been in existence for years; however, children across the world are still being violated and deprived of basic human rights. In a report regarding the ongoing act of child recruitment and sexual abuse of boys in Afghanistan, KabulNow highlights how “The Taliban continue to recruit children as soldiers and, in some cases, force boys into sexual slavery, including the practice of bacha bazi, despite official bans.” This quote directly demonstrates the limited effect laws, treaties, and bans have on the safety and well-being of children, as the growing lack of accountability and adequate punishment allows for exploitation to persist unchecked. When armed officials, commanders, or individuals of high authority are continuously able to get away with the abuse and violation of children without consequential fear, regulations meant to enforce the protection of children turn into mere labels of ineffectiveness.

Furthermore, in a report written by The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, it is mentioned that “child protection in HRP contexts remained disproportionately underfunded, with average funding coverage of 29.2% compared to 46.9% for HRPs overall. In refugee contexts, child protection funding coverage was 30.8%, closely matching the overall refugee response funding rate of 31.5%.” This data demonstrates the primary role, or lack thereof, that funding for safety plays in the overall safeguarding of children. Having the proper finances to support the protection of children is paramount to the actual effectiveness and widespread implementation of child-defensive acts and regulations, yet child protection is undervalued within humanitarian aid itself. The stark dearth in funding highlights the priorities of protective institutions, in which the safety of children is viewed as a non-pressing matter in comparison to other crises. When funding is spent in other areas, children are put at a disadvantage, often left to fend for themselves. Therefore, although humanitarian institutions claim that the safety of children is most important, and that children are the most fragile and vulnerable victims of oppression, their budgets prove otherwise.

Overall, the throwaway child, the discarded child, is a representation of the systems that have repeatedly failed them, the systems that have allowed for violence to prosper. Treaties and peace agreements are flaunted across news headlines, yet enforcement remains untouched. Efforts to rebuild nations destroyed by war are prevalent, while children are subjected to violence, displacement, recruitment, and trafficking. This failure stems from political numbness: the sheer unwillingness to help through means of proper funding, implementation, or punishment. Thus, children across Yemen, Gaza, Syria, and Afghanistan are neglected as the world actively turns its back on them with a collective sense of apathy, as their protection is not seen as a matter of urgency.

Works Cited

Analysis of Funding for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action in 2023. alliancecpha.org/sites/default/files/technical/attachments/Unprotected_Analysis%20of%20funding%20for%20child%20protection%20in%20humanitarian%20action%20in%202023_English.pdf.

KabulNow. “Taliban Continues Child Recruitment and Sexual Abuse of Boys, Says US State Department.” KabulNow, 30 Sept. 2025, kabulnow.com/2025/09/taliban-continues-child-recruitment-and-sexual-abuse-of-boys-says-us-state-department/.