Killer Kids – VICE on HBO: Episode 1

In this first episode, Ryan Duffy travels to the Philippines to explore the rampant political violence during election season and VICE co-founder Shane Smith heads to Afghanistan to speak with would-be child suicide bombers who were captured before they could kill themselves and others.

In the Philippines, election season is more like hunting season. Rivals simply rub out their opponents instead of defeating them at the polls. In the 2010 election year alone, more than 100 people were killed due to political violence. VICE follows the cycle of violence in this gun-crazy island nation all the way from an underground factory where illicit weapons are made to the villages full of young men who can’t wait to get their hands on them.

In Afghanistan, senior members of the Taliban are now manipulating children and teenagers into carrying out their suicide bombings. They brainwash illiterate kids not well-versed in their own religion, and even fool them into believing they will survive the blast. VICE meets with young kids who were captured before they blew themselves and others up, as well as some of the victims of these tragic bombings.