Salt of the Earth: statistics of interest

Stat house
April 2000

Other stats:

Capital punishment

Environment

Homelessness

Welfare reform

Our booming prisons

Disappearing health care

Refugees worldwide

Misc. stats

Children soldiers
Statistics about child soldiers are never exact, and the estimates are most likely conservative, although they are based on many years of research in dozens of countries. The number 300,000 is commonly cited as the general estimate of child soldiers worldwide, although that can fluctuate, depending on the number, scale, and duration of ongoing conflicts.

Children under 18 participated in the armed conflicts of 36 countries in 1997-98, according to the Swedish organization Radda Barnen. Twenty-seven of those countries used child soldiers under 15. Approximately 20 more countries, including the United States, recruit children under 18.—Foreign Policy in Focus

Of the 1.4 million men and women in the United States armed forces in 1999, 49,000 enlistees were 17 when they signed up. Only 11,000 were still 17 when they reported to basic training, and of those, only 2,500 had not turned 18 by the time their training was completed.—"Agreement Bars Using Children as Soldiers," New York Times, Jan. 22, 2000

For more information:

Foreign Policy in Focus

Countries and their minimum ages for recruitment

Countries where there is evidence of the exploitation of child soldiers.

Although some countries recruit or force children as young as 7 into military duty, the majority of child soldiers are adolescents. Radda Barnen reports that most child soldiers are between 15-17 years of age. But because age documentation does not exist in many areas, children are frequently passed off as older than they really are.

The use of children in war is facilitated by the estimated 500 million small arms and assault weapons worldwide. These weapons are not only inexpensive—an AK-47 and two clips of ammunition can be bought for $12 on the Mozambican border—they are also small, lightweight, and simple enough for a 10-year-old to handle.—Foreign Policy in Focus
Back to page top

March 2000 stats: what's drugs got to do with it?
"In both animal and human studies, alcohol, more than any other drug, has been linked with a high incidence of violence and aggression."—Seventh Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health (Secretary of Health and Human Services, January 1990)

Crime is inextricably related to alcohol and other drugs (AOD). More than 1.1 million annual arrests for illicit drug violations, almost 1.4 million arrests for driving while intoxicated, 480,000 arrests for liquor law violations and 704,000 arrests for drunkenness come to a total of 4.3 million arrests for alcohol and other drug statutory crimes. That total accounts for over one-third of all arrests in this country.

The impaired judgment and violence induced by alcohol contribute to alcohol-related crime. Rapes, fights, and assaults leading to injury, manslaughter, and homicide often are linked with alcohol because the perpetrator, the victim, or both, were drinking. The economic cost of AOD-related crime is $61.8 billion annually.

Many perpetrators of violent crime were also using illicit drugs. Some of these drugs, such as PCP and steroids, may induce violence. These drugs can also be a catalyst for aggressive-prone individuals who exhibit violent behavior as a result of taking them.

The need for preventing alcohol and other drug problems is clear when the following statistics are examined:

Alcohol is a key factor in up to 68 percent of manslaughters, 62 percent of assaults, 54 percent of murders/attempted murders, 48 percent of robberies, and 44 percent of burglaries.

Among jail inmates, 42.2 percent of those convicted of rape reported being under the influence of alcohol or alcohol and other drugs at the time of the offense.

Over 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women arrested for property crimes (burglary, larceny, robbery) in 1990, who were voluntarily tested, tested positive for illicit drug use.

In 1987, 64 percent of all reported child abuse and neglect cases in New York City were associated with parental AOD abuse.

It's impossible to put a monetary value on the human lives and suffering associated with alcohol and other drug problems, but the child welfare and court costs needed to deal with the consequences of these problems are substantial. The cost to arrest, try, sentence, and incarcerate those found guilty for these 4.3 million alcohol- and other drug-related offenses is a tremendous drain on our national resources.—National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.

For more information, contact: Stephen M. Apatow President, Humanitarian Resource Institute: 203-668-0282. For additional information on the report "Youth and Violence: Facing the Epidemic," visit Year 2000 Technology and Development Challenges.
Back to page top

Back to page top