In the 1970s the '' Khmer Rouge '' exploited thousands of desensitised , conscripted children in their early teens to commit mass murder and other atrocities during the Cambodian civil war and subsequent genocide . The indoctrinated children were taught to follow any order without hesitation . After it was deposed in 1979 , the '' Khmer Rouge '' fought a guerrilla war against the new government , and until at least 1998 relied heavily on child recruits , including forced recruitment by abduction . During this period , the children were deployed mainly in unpaid support roles , such as ammunition-carriers , and also as combatants
subsequent genocide
Cambodian genocide
History of children in the military