HART Prize for Human Rights 2019| Child Army

This year we received a record number of entries from a diverse range of countries, resulting in our toughest competition yet! We were truly impressed by the quality, creativity, and passion for Human Rights demonstrated by our participants, and thoroughly enjoyed all the submissions we received.

Noah Adams won the joint 3rd place in our HART Prize for Human Rights Junior Creative Competition 2019 with their entry titled:

Child Army 

Jake woke up to the sound of knocking on his front door. He sat up and scratched his head. People knocked on the door a lot but not normally this late. He heard his max go and open the door. Then he heard a loud voice shouting at him and Max replie in a startled voice. The man asked how many people there were in the house and how old they were. Max replied by saying that there was him and he was 19 another boy whose name was Joe he was 16 and there were two boys named Frank and Joe who were 14.

As this was happening Jake had woken up Frank who had been sleeping next to him and together they both crept to the wall and looked through a small hole. They were living in a small slum witch had ordinally belonged to Franks parents. But his dad had died from drinking bad water and his Mom had never returned from a trip into the village. So Frank had invited them to live there Max had been one of 12 children who were all kicked out at the age of 12 and he had crossed half the country alone and with no money or food to find his uncle but had given up and decided to stay there. Sleeping in a small hole under the house until frank and Jake had found him and invited him in. the 16 year old Boy was Franks brother he had been dropped as a baby and as a result refused to leave the house he also couldn’t speak or move his left arm.

Then the man who had been talking to Max pulled out a bat and in a single movement smashed it across his knees Max fell to the flor crying out in pain just as A second swing of the bat smashed the back of his head knocking him out him out. The 2 boys reeled back. Sudnley they realised what was happening. They had herd abut it from a boy who had run away from the town to the north. He had told them about the men who had forced him to kill his own parents and then go and fight. But he had run away. They saw the man drag Max away by his hands and out into the street. That was the last time they had ever seen or herd about max. then they went for Joe they heard him scream then the man asked him a question Joe tried to reply but he couldn’t speck.

They heard a loud sound and then Joe fell to the floor Dead. 2 men came into there room Jake stood up the dust cascading of him and onto the floor. The solder shouted at him to sit down. He did nothing then a second man came in to the room he was the one with the Gun. He pointed it at frank and with tears in his easy he threw his hands above his head the man pointed at the doorway and frank scrambled out. Then the same man tock out a stick and began hitting and beating Jake unit all he could feel was pain then the mans boot slammed into the side of his head and he was knocked out.

The next thing that happened was he heard a voice calling out to him. He opened his easy. You been asleep for 2  days Frank told him ware am I Jake asked. Frank shrugged with obverse caused him a lot of pain. He sat up and looked around there were about 20 boys in the room all his age or younger. Jake remembered the storeys that the boy had told about boys being forced to beat there parents to death.

Then the man who had knocked him out came in and took him by the arm. A second man came in and took Frank by the arm. They were all forced into the back of a truck. They felt a jolt and then started moving. Over the journey he herd the men talking was able to pick the fact that they were going to go and kill some boys who had run away. The 2 boys looked at each other with terrified easy. They ground to a stop and the back door was opened. A huge heavy gun with a long chain of bullets snaking out of it and 2 sticks facing down at the front was given to Jake and a long thin Gun with a small cinder on the top was given to Frank.

They made there way to the top floor of a building with one window. Frank had never hurt anyone and he even went out of his way to make Shure that ho animals got hurt. When his parents had died he had invited all of the boys without homes to live there with him. And he was friends with everyone. In the village. He was told to kneel by the window and point the gun out. He put his eay to the cinder and looked out the man pointed at a young boy who was helping a old lady across the street. Frank looked up at the man pleadingly. But the man Just nodded. Frank looked pack out the window the cold breeze bruising against his skin. He stood there for a few minuets not doing any thing. Then he took a breath and. And moved his hand.

There was a shot and frank fell to the flor dead. Jake wield round with tears in his easy and tried to lift his gun. But it was to heavy. The man pointed at the gun and Jake took the dead boys place. He saw the boy on the stret and decide that he didn’t want him to die the same way as frank. He felt cold stele against the back of his neck. He stod up and shok his head there was another crack and he fell to the floor dead.