The plight of child soldiers is the topic of a presentation coming to Austin Community College.

According to the United States Institute of Peace, upward of 300,000 children as young as age 7 are being used as military porters, sentries, sex slaves, and combatants in more than 30 conflict zones around the world.

David J. Smith of the U.S. Institute of Peace will address the issue in an hour-long presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 25, in the Eastview Campus Multipurpose Room, Building 8000, Room 8500. Admission is free, and the public is invited.

A Fulbright Scholar in 2003-04, Smith has taught peace studies and alternative dispute resolution in colleges and universities worldwide.

At ACC, he will discuss the use of child soldiers around the world, the implications of their use, and efforts being taken to solve the problem. He will also discuss the work of the U.S. Institute of Peace in promoting global peace building.

“This talk is one way to bring awareness of and meaningful information about global peace and security issues to our students,” says Dr. Shirin Catterson Khosropour, chair of the Behavioral Sciences Department.

ACC’s Behavioral Sciences and Center for Public Policy and Political Studies are cosponsoring the event.

For more information, contact Khosropour at (512) 223.3282 or [email protected]