The privatization of war has reshaped the battlefield—and profit is the driving force. In The Child Soldier’s New Job, Danish journalist Mads Ellesøe dives into one of the most disturbing consequences of this trend: former child soldiers from Africa, hired by Western private military companies to guard military bases in war zones like Iraq.
The Child Soldier’s New Job
Release date: April 19, 2016 (Denmark)
Runtime: 1 hour 8 minutes
Director: Mads Ellesøe
Stars: Thomas Odukai, Yoweri Museveni, Sean McFate
Country of origin: Denmark
Language: English
Also known as: Barnsoldaternas nya krig
Filming locations: Uganda
Production company: Plus Pictures
Through years of investigation, confidential contracts, and harrowing interviews, Ellesøe uncovers a grim reality. UK-based security firms, backed by U.S. Department of Defense funds, recruited thousands of men from Sierra Leone and Uganda. Many of them were once child soldiers, coerced into fighting during brutal civil wars, especially Sierra Leone’s conflict that ended in 2002. As adults, these same individuals were offered jobs as low-paid guards in another war—this time in Iraq—reviving their trauma for as little as $16 a day.
The documentary highlights a deep contradiction: while the private military industry boasts codes of conduct and ethical recruitment standards, these rules often go unenforced. In practice, outsourcing to the poorest and most vulnerable populations has become common, with little regard for past trauma, psychological wellbeing, or human rights records.
Why does this happen? The answer is simple and chilling: cost-cutting. Trained Western contractors are expensive. Recruits from Africa are not. Verification systems are weak, and companies claim plausible deniability—after all, these men are now “adults” and “free” to work.
The Child Soldier’s New Job connects this phenomenon to a broader trend: the increasing privatization and deregulation of war. In a global market where war is just another service, ethics often fall by the wayside. The film also references chilling parallels—like the Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, who worked for a private security firm that lacked proper background checks and was suspended for corruption.
A must-watch for anyone concerned with global justice, human rights, and the unchecked spread of military outsourcing, The Child Soldier’s New Job is a powerful exposé on how war has become not just privatized—but deeply and dangerously globalized.
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#documentary #WorldHistory #LearnYourHistory #ChildSoldiers #PrivateMilitary #WarProfits
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