The Obama administration should stop providing direct military funding to nations that recruit children under the age of 15 to serve in their armed services. US taxpayers' money should not support the employment of child soldiers.
The US is currently providing hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Yemen, despite these countries' well-documented use of child soldiers.
This military assistance is a flagrant violation of both the Child Soldiers Prevention Act and the Obama administration's own promises.
The US's continued provision of unconditional aid to these countries sends the wrong message. The Obama administration should curb this aid in order to reify its commitment to human rights and to the laws of our country.