Zex - Child Soldier

 

  Zex are from Ottawa, Canada and have been together since 2014. The line up features Gretchen Steel (vocals), Gab Hole (bass), Mark Useless (drums) and Jo Capitalicide (guitar). So far they've released a bunch of singles and a 2014 album titled Fight For Yourself. You can find those releases out here :  http://www.zexzexzex.com/

  They're heading over to Europe in June and you can check out details here :  https://www.facebook.com/zexzexzexofficial/

  Recently they released a new single on No Front Teeth Records. It features 2 tracks and this is what they had to say about the A side, Child Soldier....

Child soldiers are children under the age of 18 who are recruited by armed groups who use children as shields, cooks, suicide bombers, fighters, spies, messengers and/or for sexual purposes.
Those forced to serve as soldiers most likely are displaced, poor, have little access to education or live in war zones. 
They are mainly recruited by militaries because they are easily manipulated. This is because they are very young to understand or resist any command. They are preferred mostly because they eat less food compared to adults and are not paid. The sense of danger in children is not highly developed making it easy to send them into the line of fire.
10 to 30 percent of kid soldiers are girls. They are used for fighting and are especially vulnerable to sexual violence they are also given to commanders as wives.
The following countries have reported use of child soldiers since 2011: Afghanistan, Colombia, India, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Mali, Mozambique, Uganda, Congo, Pakistan, Thailand, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and more.
In Sierra Leone child soldiers terrorized civilians by cutting off hands and arms. In Somalia war profiteers use child soldiers to prolong warfare in order to prevent taxes and curtailing illegal businesses. In Liberia former president Charles Taylor abducted many child soldiers to use in his fight for power in a war that lasted 14 years. His Rivals, whom included the infamous General Butt Naked (Joshua Blahyi), also used child soldiers in the brutal war.
Since there have been many technological advances in the making of war weapons they have been made real easy to use, which has contributed to the increase in child soldiers.
Some child soldiers are forced to act violently against their families and communities to make sure they do not return home.
Some children are coerced into fighting by their family or communities. Such was the case of Canadian Omar Khadr who at the age of 15 was captured while fighting in Afghanistan . Subsequently he was held for 10 years without trial in Guantanamo Bay. Eventually he was transfered to prison in Canada where his nightmare still continues.
In some countries, former child soldiers have access to rehabilitation programs to help them locate their families, get back into school, receive vocational training, and re-enter civilian life. However, many children have no access to such programs. They may have no way to support themselves and are at risk of re-recruitment
The recruitment of Child soldiers is on the rise and is one of war's most despicable atrocities.

  This is Child Soldier.....

YOU'VE KILLED ME FAMILY NOW I'M YOUR SLAVE 
TRAIN ME TO SHOOT, RAISE ME TO HATE 
TO BATTLEFIELDS I'M SENT AS FODDER 
DOPE IN MY VEINS SO I WON'T FEAR DEATH 

A CHILD SOLDIER GOT NO FUTURE FORCED TO FIGHT 
A CHILD SOLDIER SENT TO RAPE KILL AND DIE 
I'LL KILL FOR COCAINE, KILL FOR DIAMONDS 
ETHNIC CLEANSING, KILL FOR POWER 
I'LL KILL FOR HEROIN, KILL FOR OIL 
DOING GOD'S WORK, KILLING FOR ALLAH 
DEEP IN THE FOREST I'M A GANGSTER 
THEY FEAR MY NAME, I CAN'T GET OUT 
DRINKING THE BLOOD OF THE NEWBORN 
I'VE GOT THE COURAGE, DESTINED TO DIE 

DON'T WANT TO BE A CHILD SOLDIER 
NEVER WANTED TO BE A CHILD SOLDIER 
NEVER WANTED TO KILL A CHILD SOLDIER