In many parts of the world, children are suffering the effects of a life which interrupted by war. Whether a child is directly involved in a conflict or witnessing these acts, they are all affected. This paper will discuss the reason and prevalence of child soldiers used in armed conflict. The main scope of this paper will be on the personal experiences of former child soldiers while growing up in a nation at war. Additionally, there will be a review of the role that UNICEF plays in reintegrating child soldiers back into society.
Although the number of conflicts involving children may have dropped since 2004 from 27 to 15, human rights experts estimate that ore than over 200,000 children worldwide are being used as combatants. This group of children also includes girls, who are usually pushed into duties such as cooks or messengers, and are often subjected to sexual abuse. In some cases children choose to fight in conflicts, but in most cases they are coerced, abducted, or influenced by in some way. (Gettleman, 2010)
African countries have been at war for a long time, which has evolved from fighting to end colonial rule, to greedy warlords battling over their countries natural resources. They struggle to gain control over their country's timber, copper, gold and diamonds. There is also one thing that all these warring groups have in common, which is their reliance on the recruitment of children. Children are in abundance and considered dispersible in the minds of the warlords that seek to fill their pockets, while destroying everything in their way. (Gellteman, 2010)
The inhabitants Northern Uganda have been under the attack of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group that is fighting to overthrow the Ugandan government. This group initially was thought to be fighting for a political cause, but soon became more violent towards the general population of Northern Uganda. The LRA began terrorizing villages by abducting adults initially, and then progressed to kidnapping children. These abductions were a purposeful strategy to build there numbers and instill fear into the population. These abductions began to increase in severity from 20,000-30,000 since the 1990s. (Corbin, 2010)
The LRA may have been the responsible for the majority of the abductions, but the Ugandan government was also responsible for not putting child protection as a top priority. The Ugandan government also played a role in recruiting children. The Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) was responsible for the mass recruitment of children in Local Defense Forces (LDUs). Children would act as armed guards to escort other children from their camps into urban centers to avoid the LRA and their continuous abductions. In the absence of government protection, children ended up being appointed to look out for each other. Once the children reached their designated urban centers, there was little protection there, which left them susceptible to various forms of abuse. (Angucia, 2009)
Both sides of the conflict were guilty of capitalizing on the availability or children, as escaped or rescued children were also recruited by the UPDF as informants, in order to collect intelligence on the LRA and their activities. The children were forced to help the UPDF before they were released to reception centers or their families. When questioned about these recruitments, an army officer explained that their main goal was to build confidence in the children. Aside from their claims of building confidence in children, the UPDF continued to rob these children of their childhood. (Angucia, 2009)
Once their requirements were fulfilled to the UPDF standards, the children were released and reintegrated back into their former life. The resources that are available to these children is material based, and pay no attention to the emotional damage that is prevalent. Between the Amnesty Commission and Non-government organizations, they provide some vocational skills, school fees, cups, plates, mattresses, seeds, and an equivalent of 162 US dollars. The atrocities that children go through will leave them with physical and emotional scars, which will stay with them for the rest of their lives. There needs to be more resources available for these children, in order to rebuild their lives as normal children. Unless there is a deliberate government effort to provide psychological help for these child soldiers, their future is bleak. (Angucia, 2009)
After the formerly captured children are released they sometimes attend a reception center to receive counseling, family reunification, and basic needs looked after. It has been estimated that the amount of formerly abducted children that attend these reception centers is to be 84 per cent boys, and 15 per cent girls. Psychological rehabilitation in these centers seemed to be non-existent, as their efforts were focused towards social and cultural aspects of reintegration. The counseling that was implemented was not done by trained therapists and follow up was limited. (Corbin, 2010)
Once these children have gone through these centers they return to their Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camp where they are forced to readjust to their surroundings. Not only are they still in continual danger violence, they also have the harsh reality of the impoverishment they have to struggle though on a daily basis. Whether they lived at the camp prior to their abductions, they are still forced to readjust to the poor living conditions. The challenges of daily survival that a child has to face can lead to severe distress among children. (Corbin, 2010)
Through qualitative research, some of the formerly capture children were interviewed and asked about their experiences adjusting to life in the IDP camps compared to a traditional village. One of the respondents shared how they felt that they were constantly under control, and unable to do go outside at night. They have to ration their food supply so that there is still food left, when the next shipment when the next shipment arrives. (Crobin, 2010)
A deeper understanding of the experiences that children can go through during times of war can be observed through Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier of the civil war in Sierra Leone. Ishmael's first experience with war was in 1993, at the tender age of twelve, and is now in his twenties. Ishmael has experienced both running from the war, and fighting in it. He has suffered the effects of being a child soldier, and has gone through rehabilitation provided by UNICEF, which has helped reintegrate back into society. (Beah, 2007)
Sierra Leone is well known for its use of child soldiers, when civil war broke out in 1991 and lasted for more than a decade. Both the national army and the opposing, Revolutionary United Front (RUF) were both guilty of abducting children from the villages they sought to control. It is estimated that 15,000-22,000 children were taken from their families and forced to serve the military groups by performing various duties. These duties ranged from domestic chores to taking part in their capturers conquest. Many of the children involved were sexually abused and forced to consume alcohol and drugs. (Betancourt, Simmons, Borisova, Brewer, Iweala, Soudie're, 2008
During the times of war, people did not know who they could trust, as they had all been shaken from the gruesome acts they had seen. They knew that the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) were merciless killers and were in constant fear. Everyone was a potential enemy, even a young child, as they were a prime candidate for the warlords to use in combat. Even people who knew each other became careful of how they related to or spoken with each other. Sometimes villages would welcome people who were passing through, by giving them a place to rest and food to eat. Other times Ishmael and his young companions found themselves bound in ropes and on trial on front of the village chief. People were so afraid that an unarmed group of children appeared to be a possible threat. (Beah, 2007, p. 37)
Children had now become hostile towards adults in the community, as a result of recruitment and manipulation by militant forces. As a result of war, practicing traditions became less frequent, resulting in a loss of communal identity. Children were no longer safely able to carry out their daily duties in their transition from children to adults. These warlords capitalized in the recruitment of children "when the traditional social ritual was destabilized due to conflict and war, warlords took advantage of the vacuum and recruited children into their ranks and put them under their control with total allegiance to them". (Agucia, 2009)
An individual new to the experiences of war, would quickly learn that currency could be useful one moment and pointless the next. Keeping money handy was an ideal asset in an effort to travel light. In an ideal situation, money would get you supplies of freshly prepared food from vendors. Sometimes vendors decided not to sell food in case they did not have enough for their family if things worsened. (Beah, 2007, p.29)
Even though the encountering the rebels were a possibility, the hunger and lack of supplies are enough to make a person take the chance of moving from one village to the next. Carrying food and supplies around would slow travels down, so eating on the go was a means of survival, although at times this meant going hungry. When escaping the rebels, any person unwilling to part with their possessions, would most certainly be caught and suffer. (Beah, 2007, p.28))
The (RUF) claimed to be fighting for their neighbors, as they were supposedly standing up to a corrupt government. Yet they would carve their initials (RUF) on the body a messenger with a hot bayonet, and chop off all their fingers except for the thumbs. The messengers were spared during the village raids, so they could go to other villages and tell the inhabitants that the rebels are coming, and to stay where they are. They wanted to be welcomed into their community, as they were fighting the war for them. It goes without saying that the rebels were fighting their own war. The main reason they wanted people to remain in the villages, especially women and children, was to shield themselves from the opposing forces. (Beah, 2007, p.21)
Families would be separated from each other during the village raids, with all the chaos happening everywhere. People became confused from all the screams and gunshots, causing everyone to run in separate directions. Family members would be looking for each other trying to find safety amidst the chaos. Parents would be screaming their children's names, and children would be crying out for their parents in vain. People had to choose between leaving their loved ones astray, of face certain death or recruitment at the hands of the rebels. (Beah, 2007, p.23)
Some of LRA's former child soldiers involved in the Ugandan conflict were interviewed on their experiences said that they had been abducted while performing their daily tasks such as getting firewood for their family. There have been other instances where the LRA would walk into schools and select children to be taken. In one particular situation, a young boy explained that he and six other children and been abducted and brought out into the forest.. The abductors decided that four of the children were too young and killed them in front of the others. They told the others that if they escaped, their fate would be the same. (Angucia, 2009)
The (RUF) claimed to be fighting a political war, but their unspeakable acts of violence
Show otherwise. Their conquest to gain control over villages for their food, supplies, drugs, and
new recruits can be understood as using up valuable resources to keep the war going. This
mentality only serves to benefit those who are fighting in the conflict, which results in the
destruction of communities and families.
" Large zones of the world have been delivered up to anarchy, to forms of
warfare so chaotic that it would dignify them to call them civil wars.
They are wars of disintegration, between factions and bands, whose
aims cannot be regarded even as political. They are fighting for drugs,
for territory, for survival and from the fighting there radiates nothing
but more chaos". (Ignatieff, 1999)
Ishmael and his companions evaded numerous brushes with death at the hands of the rebels, and unwelcoming villages. They finally reached Yele, a village that was said to be protected by Sierra Leone's national army. It was an army base, which seemed like a safe place for a short while. Eventually, Ishmael and his friends, along with the rest of the village, were given an option to join the war of leave the village immediately. Leaving the village meant certain death. (Beah, 2007, pg.101, 106)
Sierra Leone is well known for its use of child soldiers, when civil war broke out in 1991 and lasted for more than a decade. Both the national army and the opposing, Revolutionary United Front (RUF) were both guilty of abducting children from the villages they sought to control. It is estimated that 15,000-22,000 children were taken from their families and forced to serve the military groups by performing various duties. These duties ranged from domestic chores to taking part in their capturers conquest. Many of the children involved were sexually abused and forced to consume alcohol and drugs. (Betancourt, Simmons, Borisova, Brewer, Iweala, Soudie're, 2008)
During their period of training, their Lieutenant would continuously tell the children to visualize the enemy as the people who murdered their families and were responsible for all the bad things in their life. Eventually this repetition in words became a part of thought, and eventually became a part of the heart. Ishmael was afraid the first time he was put on the front lines, but from seeing his friends being hurt, and remembering what his Lieutenant said, he eventually disconnected from his fear. Ishmael became filled with hate, and no longer trembled while holding his rifle. (Beah, 2007, p.113)
Children are a prime candidate for military recruitment for both rebel and national armies, as they are easily manipulated and extremely loyal to their leaders. A child's instinctive need for someone to rely on guidance is exploited by militant groups that are trying to their agenda. In some cases children loose their families during raids, and come to the military seeking safety. Instead of safety, they are placed on the front lines of a war they want protection from. An African military commander from Chad was interviewed and asked about their views of child combatants. Their response was that children make good soldiers, as they do not complain, and when commanded to kill, they listen. (Gettleman, 2010)
All the soldiers were given white pills for increased energy, Marijuana and brown brown, which was cocaine mixed with gunpowder. These drugs gave a rush of energy and a feeling of numbness, which helped them keep disconnected from reality. The drugs also helped a soldier to stay fearless in battle, as their minds did not think of dying. After returning from the front lines, the only activities they engaged in was watching war movies, taking more drugs. The only things they talked about were the movies, the killings they were proud of during battle, or how they admired their Lieutenant. There was no time to think about anything else, and was as if nothing else existed or mattered. (Beah, 2007, pg.121, 122)
During Ishmael's service, he had done many things that no child or human should ever be expected to do. Prisoners would be lined up and executed by the children as a contest, with the winner being the first to finish off their assigned prisoner. After the competition, the winning soldier would be assigned a higher military rank. Killing became a daily activity, which had hardened Ishmael's heart, as he felt no pity for anyone. He viewed his rifle as his provider and protector, and his rule was to kill or be killed. They continued moving from one village to the next seeking food and ammunition, killing everyone so they could stay alive. (Beah, 2007, pg. 125, 126, 142)
When Ishmael was fifteen, his life went into another direction, when he was taken out of the war in 1996 by members of UNICEF. A truck arrived at their base, where the Lieutenant greeted the UNICEF staff and their Militarily Police escorts. There had recently been international standards put into place by the UN making it illegal to recruit children as soldiers. After some negotiations, their Lieutenant proceeded to select individuals to leave with the visitors, and selected Ishmael along with several other children. They were transported to a rehabilitation center, where they had begun the process of reintegration. (Beah, 2007, pg.126-129)
UNICEF has been a leading advocate for child protection over the last several decades
In Sierra Leone they helped over 3,600 children leave the army. UNICEF coupled with partner organizations work together to form a protective environment for children who need a protection. This organization has been working with government ministries and community leaders in over 150 countries and territories. UNICEF is guided by United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and believes that the protection and development of children needs to be a worldwide effort. This organization believes that children have the right to health, education, equality, and protection. (UNICEF, 2010)
UNICEF defines that a child soldier is anyone under the age of 18, who is involved with any regular or unconventional armed force, or armed group in any form. This includes any activities that assist these groups such as cooking, portering, or delivering messages. Anyone who is accompanying such groups other than family members is also considered is also considered as a child soldier. (Cannon, 2009)
Ishmael and other soldiers began the gradual journey towards recovery from their traumatic experiences. At first, they were furious at the idea of being told what to do be the councilors, as they were soldiers and felt that they deserved to be treated as superiors for their services to Sierra Leone. They had been able to survive on their own, and felt that the hardships they had endured entitled them to independence. They had been robbed of their innocence, as their traumatic experiences had distanced themselves from their childhood. (Beah, 2007, p.138)
Reconnecting with others becomes difficult, as a soldier becomes used to being alone for survival. The war had become a part of their life, so they were committed to their duties as child soldiers. They had tried to flee the war, and gave up all hope of an intervention separating them from the conflict. So when help finally arrived for these chosen youth, they were weary of their intentions. They felt betrayed by their Lieutenant, whom they had grown to love and trust. From his experiences with his Lieutenant, Ishmael had grown to believe that people were only nice in order to get something in return, which made socializing with the councilors was difficult. (Beah, 2007, p. 153)
Sometimes, when former child soldiers are reintegrated back into their community, they an also face negative attitudes and harassment from their fellow villagers. This is because the children may have been forced to kill their own relatives or attack their own village while under the control of their capturers. Generally those who have not been abducted and forced into the conflict, do not understand the children have been brainwashed into killing. Their attitude towards them is unwelcoming because they only see the children as perpetrators rather than victims. ( Corbin, 2008)
The path to recovery was slow, as the memories of war and traumas had created a barrier which had blocked the memories of life before the war. Traumatic Images and thoughts take over the mind preventing a person from thinking about anything else. The counselors worked hard to help these children reconnect with their past. The only way they could help them remember anything, was to slowly draw the information out of them. The children were placed into a daily school program and asked general questions, which were discussed in class. These questions became more specific as time went by, which helped the staff understand what kind of interests the children had before they became involved in the war. The answers give in class were given to the therapists to help reintroduce the children to their past hobbies and interests. (Beah, 2007, pg. 149, 163)
When the war in Sierra Leone was over, their government implemented short term reintegration programs were offered to help prepare the former child soldiers to return to their homes. These disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs fell short in terms of long term rehabilitation, because the state Sierra Leone's educational system prevented true reintegration from happening. Without proper education and training resources, there are little opportunities for development. (Betancourt, Simmons, Borisova, Brewer, Iweala, Soudie're, 2008)
Two government programs were formed after the War in Sierra Leone in order to meet the educational needs of the children after the war. The "Rapid Education for Primary Schools (CREPS), and Rapid Response Education Program (RREP)" was directed at helping over-age acquire a proper education. The RREP discontinued in 2002 after serving roughly 14,000 students from 2000-2002. After RREP discontinued, students moved into regular educational institutions or a CREPS program. (Betancourt, Simmons, Borisova, Brewer, Iweala, Soudie're, 2008)
These programs were effective in providing education for over-age students, by facilitating same age groups, and teaching at an accelerated rate. Although, there is evidence that the quality of education at CREPS was not at par with regular schooling institutions, as they provided fewer textbooks per student, and teachers were reported to be absent more frequently. (Betancourt, Simmons, Borisova, Brewer, Iweala, Soudie're, 2008)
Even before the civil war in Sierra Leone, their education system was failing, as they were unable to provide education to the millions of children. In 1990, only 55 per cent of the children were able to attend primary school. The schools charged fees to the parents of the attending children, which left room to discriminate against the majority of the population who could not afford to pay. Although, in 2004 school fees were abolished that created a surge in primary school attendance. Unfortunately, recent research has shown that this surge has died down and children continue to not finish their education. This shows that there is still underlying economic factors that are preventing these children from getting the education they deserve. (Betancourt, Simmons, Borisova, Brewer, Iweala, Soudie're, 2008)
There are so many factors of war that make daily life a struggle, such as hunger, sickness, military violence, and distrust for fellow neighbors. Children become the target of violence from adults, as they are suspicious of their intentions. Children are seen as potential enemies, making their country an unwelcoming place for any child who is desperately seeking safety and reassurance. In order for the military recruiters to press these children into conflict, they brainwash them by destroying everything they know. Any sense of community or tradition is destroyed in an effort to leave their recruits vulnerable to adopting a new and dangerous set of values. The children become hardened, as any sign of weakness is not tolerated. Even though the traumatic experiences these children endure will be with them with the rest of their lives', there is still hope for them to be rehabilitated. They must relearn how to live their life as children, which requires extensive support from trained professionals and educational resources available. NOG's like UNICEF have been playing a major role in rehabilitating former child soldiers.
There continues to be an issue with the recruitment of child soldiers in developing countries, with seemingly no end in sight. There needs to be a collaborative effort from all nations in the efforts to stop the recruitment of children in armed conflicts. In order to properly reintegrate these children back into society, there needs to be educational resources available, along with psychiatric therapy to deal with the past traumas that have been endured.
