I
came to a startling revelation the other day. One of my favorite childhood
movies was about an everlasting childhood spent fighting pirates in a war
submerged Never Neverland. Though Steven Spielberg was able to make the movie,
“Hook” more about being a kid and never growing up, then about the hardships of
being a child soldier. This got me thinking. What exactly is a child soldier?
According to UNICEF a “child soldier’ as any child – boy or girl – under 18
years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or
armed group in any capacity, including, but not limited to: cooks, porters,
messengers, and anyone accompanying such groups other than family members.” It
is a sad fact that in today’s world there exist underdeveloped regions where
children, boy and girl alike, are robbed of their childhood. Fun and toys are
taken away and replaced with guns and hate. I wanted to research child soldiers
because I know they are out there and I know it’s wrong, but that’s where my
knowledge pretty much ends. I was hoping to answer some questions that I had.
How is a child recruited? Is there a way for them to leave the fight they’re
in, or is it like a gang in the United States? What type of psychological
affect would it have, if any, on a person at such an impressionable age? But my
main question is: How is a child soldier reintegrated back into society after such a traumatic experience?
After trolling around on the Internet I found a few good pieces to get me underway. 1) Soldier Child, this is a documentary about the children in Uganda, from brainwashing to rehabilitation. 2) Mental Health among Former Child Soldiers and Never-Abducted Children in Northern Uganda, a study done with 133 former child soldiers and 101 never-abducted children to examine their mental health. 3) Uganda’s silent war, another documentary, this one is about child abuse, torture, abduction and death in Uganda and Africa. I’m sure more questions will follow as I dive deeper into this subject. Hopefully doing this research will help spread some knowledge on an unfortunate reality.
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRaOOJXthmC1hLcdwSpA2jH69cxDRLVBJyoaitzghnYO3PnU2QEig
| Child with Bullet Casings in Rebel Camp |
After trolling around on the Internet I found a few good pieces to get me underway. 1) Soldier Child, this is a documentary about the children in Uganda, from brainwashing to rehabilitation. 2) Mental Health among Former Child Soldiers and Never-Abducted Children in Northern Uganda, a study done with 133 former child soldiers and 101 never-abducted children to examine their mental health. 3) Uganda’s silent war, another documentary, this one is about child abuse, torture, abduction and death in Uganda and Africa. I’m sure more questions will follow as I dive deeper into this subject. Hopefully doing this research will help spread some knowledge on an unfortunate reality.
"Factsheet: Child Soldier "PDF
File"" Unicef.org. Unicef, n.d. Web. 10 July 2013.
This article give a broad overview of child soldiers in Uganda. This is also where I utilized the definition of child soldier.
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRaOOJXthmC1hLcdwSpA2jH69cxDRLVBJyoaitzghnYO3PnU2QEig
Holtz, Pierre. Child with Bullet Casings in Rebel
Camp. N.d. Photograph. Security Incident. UNICEF CAR, 26
Sept. 2009. Web. 10 July 2013.
Picture of child holding spent ammunition
shells
Great topic and one that needs a lot more visibility! It's amazing how many grow up without even a concept of "childhood" -- I guess it's still a luxury in many ways. Great start!
ReplyDeleteI've heard about child soldiers, mainly in 3rd world countries. It's a sad topic, but also one that needs to be more exposed to the public. The psychological effects on the children would be interesting to learn about & how they re-adapt back into society.
ReplyDeletewatched a couple different documentary on this topic its very depressing to see. also ties in to "blood diamonds" if you havent seen that movie would check that out. light does need to be shed on this very dark topic
ReplyDeleteThis is extraordinary! My subject is titled, 'Rape as a weapon of War,' and the research I have read covers many aspects of child recruitment, particularly in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is amazing the resilience of these children, given the various circumstance under which they have been recruited.
ReplyDeleteSome of these children have actually witnessed or were forced to kill their own relatives.
One of the tactics, it seems, is to make the child an orphan, then it is easier to recruit them because they have no one and nowhere to go.
Many of these young boys are forced to commit rapesand incest as a part of their initiation, to humiliate them into submission, to prove their 'manhood' so to speak.
It is a most difficult thing to undo the damage that has been done to these children because most of them cannot forgive themselves for what they were forced to do. Note, too, that the recruitment is not limited to boys only. girls are also inducted into these militias and made to commit horrific crimes while being subjected to many atrocities themselves.
Fantastic job, Ryan!
I think this topic is very useful information for me because I have never heard about child soldiers. I think the children suffer from hardships, so UNICEF have to try to save and help these children.
ReplyDelete