Institutionalized Child Abuse

This journal article by Carrie E. Kimmel and Jini L. Roby discusses different problems that help facilitate the use of child soldiers. It talks about how children are used, either by their own government or by rebel forces, to further a political agenda. In countries that use child soldiers, there is generally a lack of governmental policies or poor enforcement of these policies. Small villages aren't likely to fight back against a powerful militia because they would be afraid that it would result in even more deaths.
Sometimes, however, these children aren't kidnapped. Some families offer up their children, especially for suicide missions where they will be martyred because it is seen as honorable for them to fight or die for a certain cause or because their religion glorifies martyrdom. If children aren't forced by their parents or by the militia, they are easily manipulated to join these forces.
It seems like no one is trying to end this horrific practice. The citizens of these countries can't be blamed too much. A lot of them aren't educated and don't have much influence on their government. Many of these countries governments could be doing much more to end this practice, but some of the countries governments are involved in the recruitment of these kids. It seems as though it is up to foreign actors, governmental organizations and NGOs to end this atrocity. I firmly believe that outside countries, especially powerful countries like the U.S., can end or greatly reduce the use of child soldiers. If the topic got more attention then more people would pressure their home government to act and eventually foreign governments would have to do something about the problem. Call me naive or idealistic, but I refuse to think that nothing can be done.