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Bahrain’s children in conflict

The involvement of children in Bahrain’s opposition unrest has set off a firestorm of debate about the politicization of the next generation.
Children sit on a roadblock set up by protesters to prevent riot police from entering the village of Shakhoora, west of Manama, August 14, 2013. Bahraini police fired tear gas and birdshot at demonstrators on Wednesday, witnesses said, as protests called for by activists to press demands for democratic change in the U.S.-allied Gulf kingdom turned violent. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed (BAHRAIN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX12LBN
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Earlier this month, two children were hospitalized after a bomb they were trying to plant exploded near the Bahraini village of Daih. According to the Interior Minstry, the boys were just 10 and 11 years of age and were following someone's instructions. They were the foot soldiers.

The growing presence of children like the two injured boys in street clashes and violent unrest has unsettled Bahrain, opening a broad debate over who or what is to blame. On March 9, Bahraini Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa decried the “exploitation of children in terrorism” and called for stricter implementation of child protection laws. Parliamentarians have accused the opposition of using children for political purposes and said those who encourage them onto the streets should face punishment. Human rights and opposition groups, meanwhile, argue that minors have become involved after watching their friends and family members being arrested or suffering.

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