Includes bibliographical references (p.197-199) and index.

Child soldiers are found throughout the world / Mirjana Rakela -- In Uganda, the child soldier situation has reached crisis status / Namrita Talwar -- In Mozambique, children are exploited as the perfect weapon / Jeffrey Gettleman -- Colombian peace is challenged by an abundance of child soldiers / Charles Geisler and Niousha Roshani -- The United States treats captured child soldiers as if they are criminals / Vincent J. Curtis -- Young girls are soldiers, too / Susan McKay -- Threats and promises entice children to war / P.W. Singer -- Democratic Republic of the Congo's forgotten children of conflict / Anushka Asthana -- Modern child soldiers have unique health concerns / J. Pearn -- Former child soldiers benefit from indigenous cultural practices of healing / Zulfiya Tursunova -- Colombia's child soldiers join rebels to escape poverty / Helen Murphy -- In Iraq, child soldiers want to be martyrs / Toby Harnden -- International efforts to combat child soldiers are not enough / UN General Assembly, Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Affairs Committee -- Africa must stop recruiting children to war / Ernest Harsch -- British Relief Organization offers aid to children affected by war in Sierra Leone / Lindsay Clydesdale -- In Mozambique, Save the Children helps child soldiers heal / Wray Herbert -- Despite international efforts, child soldiers continue to be used in battle / Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers -- Former Cambodian child soldier finds solace in writing / Susan Mansfield -- Former Ugandan child soldier helps others experience childhood / Edd McCracken -- Former child soldier from Democratic Republic of the Congo now works as a carpenter / Bent Jorgen Perlmutt -- Former child soldier from Sierra Leone is now author and child rights advocate / Naveed Malik, interviewing Ishmael Beah.

A collection of essays that provides varying perspective on child soldiers, discussing their presence in Uganda, Mozambique, and Colombia; how they are treated by the United States after being captured; the causes and effects of children in combat; efforts to end their use; and life after combat.