“Boys are being abducted to be forced into becoming child soldiers. Girls are forced to become child brides: they are raped and subjected to all manner of sexual abuse,” Shiner said via the e-mail interview. “They want to radicalize them. The boys are brainwashed into becoming terrorists – the ‘worst kind’ according to Father Fonseca.”

When jihadists kidnap kids, boys are usually trained to fight in their ranks, and girls are raped and forced to become married to their abductor.

“The terrorists put the girls under considerable pressure to convert to Islam and are taught about how to become ‘good Islamic mothers’ according to one survivor’s testimony. There is a strong sexual motivation behind the kidnapping of the girls,” said Shriner.

“It would be fair to say that abduction of children by terrorists is quite widespread. It’s likely to get worse as the conflict develops.”

Source: Persecution.org